Paracanoe Preview

The U.S. paracanoe team made history when the sport made its Paralympic debut at the Rio Games in 2016. Team USA had two top-10 finishes — a seventh-place finish for Alana Nichols in the women’s KL2 final and an eighth-place finish for Kelly Allen in the women’s KL3 final. Since then, the sport has continued to grow.

More than 40 nations competed at the 2019 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships, which served as the first opportunity to qualify Paralympic quota spots. That was where Kaitlyn Verfuerth earned her ticket to Tokyo based on her finish in the women’s VL1 200-meter. Then in May 2021, Blake Haxton joined her with his result in men’s VL2 at a world cup event in Hungary. Both athletes have previous Paralympic Games experience in other sports, but will be competing in paracanoe for the first time at the Games.

Paracanoe competition at Tokyo 2020 will take place Sept. 3-5 at the Sea Forest Waterway.

Updated on July 19, 2021. For more information, contact the sport press officer.

The paracanoe competition will be bigger than in Rio with athletes from 28 countries participating, an increase from the 26 countries that took part in 2016. There will be more athletes as well with 90 quota spots, up from 60. That is due to the addition of three new va’a events, two for men and one for women. The va’a is an outrigger canoe originating from Polynesia with a support float on one side of the boat. Para va’a events were first held at the 2009 world championships.

Both of Team USA’s athletes at the Games have previously competed at the Games in other sports. Kaitlyn Verfuerth is a three-time Paralympian in wheelchair tennis, with her best finish being just off the podium in fourth in doubles at the 2008 Beijing Games. Haxton made his Paralympic debut in rowing in 2016, finishing fifth, but isn’t totally swapping his oar for a paddle. Haxton will do both in Tokyo.
Blake Haxton, 30, only took up paracanoe in 2019, adding it alongside his rowing career, with the goal of making the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. Instead, he very nearly qualified for the Tokyo Games at the world championships in the same year he began canoeing. Haxton ended up having to wait until 2021 to secure his spot, but it’s clear he has some talent with a paddle.

Kaitlyn Verfuerth, 36, had been coaching wheelchair tennis ever since competing in the sport at the Games for the third time in Rio. She tried paracanoe just to do something different, and ended up enjoying it. Verfuerth hadn’t expected to go to Tokyo as she did not attend the U.S. Paralympic Team Trials. But some spots opened up and she’s now headed to the Games for the fourth time.
September 2, 2021: Paracanoe competition begins with heats in all events
September 3, 2021: Finals in men’s KL1, KL2 and KL3 and women’s VL2
September 4, 2021: Finals in women’s KL1, KL2 and KL3 and men’s VL2 and VL3