PARIS — Evy Leibfarth barely made it into the finals of the women’s canoe slalom, but she was faster than nearly every other racer once she got there.
Leibfarth won Team USA’s first canoe slalom medal in 20 years Wednesday, capturing the bronze at Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium with a score of 109.95.
Australia’s Jessica Fox (101.06) won gold and Germany’s Elena Lilik (103.54) took silver.
Fox and Leibfarth incurred 2-second penalties for striking a gate.
“My first World Cup medal was with Jess, maybe like five years ago and I remember it being really special just to be in the start line with one of my idols,” Leibfarth told reporters after the medal ceremony. “I think it’s a really crazy feeling when you kind of start reaching that level. But I mean, both of these girls I’ve looked up to for so long. I think they’re amazing paddlers, they’re beautiful to watch on the water and I feel very proud to be up here with them.”
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Leibfarth, 20, was the last woman to qualify for the 12-racer finals field, finishing more than 12 seconds behind Czechia’s Gabriella Satkova in the 18-person semifinal.
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But she got off to a better start in the finals, and never relinquished her podium spot.
Leibfarth, who failed to qualify for the kayak slalom finals Sunday, is the first U.S. woman to medal in canoe slalom and the first to medal in any solo canoe event since Rebecca Giddens took silver in kayak slalom in 2004, the same year Leibfarth was born.
Leibfarth has one more event in the Olympics, kayak cross, which begins Friday.
She said Sunday she’s excited to take part in the new Olympic event, where four competitors drop off simultaneously from a raised platform and race through a gated course.
‘It’s a lot of just kind of being aware of your surroundings, aware of where the other girls are and you’ve got to really want it cause I mean, it’s kind of a contact sport so you’ve got to be fricking going for it,’ Leibfarth said.
Fox, who won gold in kayak slalom, and Satkova also will take part in kayak cross.
“I’ll be giving it a red-hot crack,” Fox, Australia’s flag bearer, told reporters in her post-medal news conference. “There are so many strong girls, two of them are next to me. But from the other kayak paddlers, canoe paddlers, it’s a very strong field.”
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