Canoe Sprint events starting on 17 August: preview facts

RIO DE JANEIRO - Preview facts for canoe sprint events starting on Wednesday 17 August at Lagoa Stadium.

Men's canoe single 200m

LI Qiang (CHN) could give China its first gold medal in an individual canoe sprint event.

MENG Guanliang (CHN) and YANG Wenjun (CHN) are the only Chinese medallists in canoe sprint at the Olympic Games. They won gold in men's canoe double 500m at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008.

LI finished second in this event at last year's world championships and at the World Cup events in Racice and Montemor-o-Velho in 2016.

Iurii CHEBAN (UKR) won the first ever Olympic gold medal in men's canoe single 200m at London 2012 and could become the first athlete with multiple medals in this event.

Alfonso BENAVIDES LOPEZ DE AYALA (ESP) can become the second Spaniard to win a gold medal in an individual canoe sprint event, after David CAL (ESP) who won men's canoe single 1000m at Athens 2004.

Isaquias QUEIROZ DOS SANTOS (BRA) finished third in this event at last year's world championships and hopes to claim a medal in front of a home crowd.

Men's kayak double 200m

Liam HEATH (GBR) and Jon SCHOFIELD (GBR), took bronze for Great Britain four years ago and can become the first multiple medallists in this event.

Russia won this event at London 2012 ahead of Belarus (silver) and Great Britain (bronze). It was the first time this event was contested at the Games.

Russia and Belarus will not compete in Rio de Janeiro.

Coming into Rio 2016, Hungary had claimed most medals in canoe sprint of all NOCs (77).

Hungary will be represented by Peter MOLNAR (HUN) and Sandor TOTKA (HUN).

Marko NOVAKOVIC (SRB) and Nebojsa GRUJIC (SRB) could win Serbia its first medal in any canoe sprint event (men or women) at the Olympic Games. They won the European title in men's kayak double 200m in 2016.

Ronald RAUHE (GER) and Tom LIEBSCHER (GER) won the kayak double 200m World Cup race in Racice in 2016 and could claim Germany's first Olympic medal in this event.

Men's kayak double 1000m

Marcus GROSS (GER) and Max RENDSCHMIDT (GER) seek their first Olympic title in men's kayak double 1000m.

As a duo GROSS and RENDSCHMIDT became world champions in this event in 2013 and 2015 and European champions in 2013, 2014 and 2015.

GROSS and RENDSCHMIDT could become the first reigning world champions in men's K2 1000m to win gold in this event since Henrik NILSSON (SWE) and Markus OSCARSSON (SWE) at Athens 2004.

Only Soviet Union (4) and Sweden (4) have won more gold medals in this event than Germany (2).

Roland KOKENY (HUN) and Rudolf DOMBI (HUN) won gold in this event at London 2012, but will not compete at Rio 2016.

Benjamin CEINER (HUN) and Tibor HUFNAGEL (HUN) hope to win back-to-back titles for Hungary in this event. The last NOC to do so was Italy at Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000.

Antonio ROSSI (ITA) and Sven-Olov SJODELIUS (SWE) are the only athletes with two gold medals in this event. They won at consecutive Olympic Games but did so with different partners.

Erik VLCEK (SVK) and Juraj TARR (SVK) won the world title in this event in 2014 and could claim Slovakia's first Olympic medal in men's kayak double 1000m.

Ken WALLACE (AUS) and Lachlan TAME (AUS), who finished second at both the world championships of 2014 and 2015, could claim the first medal for Australia in this event since Seoul 1988 where Kelvin GRAHAM (AUS) and Peter FOSTER (AUS) won bronze.

Emanuel SILVA (POR) and Joao RIBEIRO (POR) won the men's kayak double 1000m at the last world cup event in Montemor-o-Velho. They could become the second duo representing Portugal with a medal in this event, after SILVA and Fernando PIMENTA (POR) claimed silver at London 2012.

Women's kayak single 500m

Danuta KOZAK (HUN) is aiming to become the second women with consecutive gold medals in the women's kayak single 500m. The only athlete with back-to-back victories in this event at the Olympic Games is Lyudmila PINAYEVA-KHVEDOSYUK (URS), who did so Tokyo 1964 and Mexico City 1968.

Birgit FISCHER (GDR/GER) is the only other athlete with multiple gold medals in the women's K1 500m, as she won at Moscow 1980 and Barcelona 1992.

The last NOC with consecutive golds in this event was the German Democratic Republic (GDR) in 1976-1980, when Carola ZIRZOW (GDR) in 1976 and FISCHER in 1980 won.

Only Soviet Union (5) has won more gold medals in this event than Hungary (3).

Reigning world champion Lisa CARRINGTON (NZL) could become the first woman representing New Zealand to win an Olympic medal in the women's kayak single 500m.

CARRINGTON is aiming for a gold medal in both the women's kayak single 200m and 500m. She can become the first women with two gold medals in individual canoe sprint events at a single Olympic Games, joining six male athletes.

The last athlete to do this was Knut HOLMANN (NOR) at Sydney 2000 where he won the men's kayak single 500m and 1000m.

Seven women have won two gold medals in canoe sprint at a single Olympic Games, but on all occasions this included at least one team event.

KOZAK did this in 2012, winning the women's kayak single 500m and kayak four 500m.

Inna OSIPENKO-RODOMSKA (AZE) could claim her third medal in the women's kayak single 500m, joining Josefa IDEM (ITA, 4), FISCHER (3) and Caroline BRUNET (CAN, 3) as the only athletes with three or more medals in this event.

ZHOU Yu (CHN), third at this event at last year's world championships, could become the first medallist representing China in the women's kayak single 500m.