Joe Clarke (canoeist)
 Clarke at the 2016 European Championships | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born |
3 November 1992 Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Education | Alleyne's Academy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 182 cm (6 ft 0 in)[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Canoe slalom | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Joseph "Joe" Clarke (born 3 November 1992)[2] is a British slalom canoeist who has competed since 2009 in individual and team K-1 events. He is the 2016 Olympic champion in the men's slalom K-1, and has won medals in team events at World and European Championships.
Early life
Clarke was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire.[2] He first tried canoeing during a trip with The Scout Association at the age of eight.[3] He then applied to join the Stafford and Stone Canoe Club, but was rejected for being too young.[4] He was given the chance to reapply through his school's canoeing club, but as they only had eight places available which were greatly oversubscribed he was required to write a letter to demonstrate why he deserved a place.[5] His application was successful and he began training with the club, competing in his first race in 2004 at the age of 11.[4]
Clarke attended Alleyne's Academy secondary school.[6] At the age of 15 he contracted bacterial meningitis which caused an abscess behind one eye. He was in hospital for two weeks and was treated with intravenous antibiotics, after which he made a full recovery.[7]
Career
Clarke made his debut for the British junior team in 2009,[4] winning junior European Championship silver medals in the K-1 team event in 2009 and 2010.[8] He has trained at the Lee Valley White Water Centre since 2012.[9]
He won a European Championship under-23 silver medal in the individual K-1 in 2013, and World Championship silver medals in the under-23 team event in 2013 and 2014.[8] At senior level, he won two bronze medals in the K-1 team event at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, earning them in 2014 and 2015. He also won two silver medals in the same event at the 2014 and 2015 European Championships.[8]
Clarke was selected for the 2016 Summer Olympics after winning the individual K-1 at the British selection trials in October 2015.[6] At the Olympics he qualified for the final of the men's slalom K-1 with the third-fastest time in the semi-final. He won gold in the final with a time of 88.53 seconds,[10] the first time a British competitor had won gold in this event.[11]
References
- ↑ "Joseph Clarke". rio2016.com. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- 1 2 "Joe Clarke". British Canoeing. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ↑ Rice, Simon (5 August 2016). "Rio 2016: Joe Clarke goes to the extremes in the pursuit of Olympic perfection". The Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Joe Clarke: who is the Team GB canoe slalom gold medallist?". The Daily Telegraph. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 10 August 2016.
- ↑ Kelso, Paul (11 August 2016). "Olympic Hero Joe Clarke Had To Beg To Take Up Kayak". Sky News. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- 1 2 Smith, Pete (26 October 2015). "Canoeing: Joe Clarke qualifies for Olympics – but heartbreak for Lizzie Neave". The Sentinel (Staffordshire). Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ↑ "Olympics 2016 preview: Hard worker Joe Clarke hopes to strike gold". Staffordshire Newsletter. 3 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
- 1 2 3 "Overview of athlete's results". canoeslalom.net. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ↑ Davenport, Justin; Churchill, David (11 August 2016). "Olympics 2016: I'm still in a dream, says girlfriend of canoe star Joe Clarke who won historic gold". Evening Standard. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ↑ "Rio Olympics 2016: Briton Joe Clarke wins gold in the kayak K1". BBC Sport. 10 August 2016. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
- ↑ Lopez, Cesar (10 August 2016). "Britain's Joseph Clarke is the fastest slalom kayaker in the world". NBC Olympics. Retrieved 13 August 2016.
External links
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