Olympics-Canoeing-Chaos of kayak cross shows path to Games paddling future

Paris 2024 Olympics - Slalom Canoe - Women's Kayak Cross Round 1 - Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium - Whitewater, Vaires-sur-Marne, France - August 03, 2024. Jessica Fox of Australia, Elena Lilik of Germany and Viktoria Wolffhardt of Austria in action. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - Canoeing at the Paris Games was dominated by Australia's Jessica Fox and New Zealand's Lisa Carrington, with the new discipline of kayak cross giving a pointer to where paddling sports may be headed - away from sprint racing towards more whitewater chaos.

Kiwi kayaker Carrington won gold in her three events on the flat water at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium, but few of those races sparked the excitement of the canoe and kayak slalom events, especially the four-person slugfests in kayak cross.