Four Australian crews have qualified for the semi-finals and with the semi-final draw placing two Australian boats in the same semi-final race, the scene is set for an epic Australian show down on the Olympic stage with the coveted medal race spots on the line.  

The women’s K1 500m will be first up and dual Olympians Alyce Wood and Alyssa Bull will go head-to-head in the seven-boat semi-final 4 with only the top two boats to qualify for the medal race (Final A) and the rest to go to Final B and C.  

Wood and Bull put in an epic final in the women’s K2 1000m on Tuesday, posting a personal best time in one of the fastest women K2 finals ever, but this time around they will be up against each other and it will be the individual result that counts.  

“We definitely want to try and qualify for that A final.  We saw it in the K2, if you can make that final, anything can happen.  The girls we are racing against these Olympics are better than we have ever seen and we have double entries from countries in the K1 and the K2. 

“It is the strongest field ever, so I think to line up in that A final would be a massive achievement and whatever happens from there happens,” Alyce Wood said.  

“I’m really proud to represent to Australia in the K1 and stoked that I get the opportunity to race in the semi-final.  I have no real expectations on myself but I just want the best for Australia, I will be pushing my way down the course and just go out there and have fun and do my best,” Bull added. 

Wood comes into the semi-final with the third fastest time in the heats, but with dual Tokyo gold medallist Lisa Carrington from New Zealand also in their semi-final, the pressure will be on for both Aussies to secure one of the hotly-contested two spots for the medal race.  

In the men’s K2 1000m, Olympic Games debutants Jean van der Westhuyzen and Tom Green impressed on Wednesday when they posted an Olympic best time in the heats of the men’s K2 1000m and they will make sure to carry that confidence into their semi-final.   

In Thursday’s semi, they will line-up against team mates and dual Olympians Riley Fitzsimmons and Jordan Wood, who took a detour via the quarterfinal to get through to the semi, but also have done less races so far, with Green and van der Westhuyzen already racing in the men’s K1 1000m on Monday and Tuesday.   

The top four boats out of their six-boat semi-final will qualify for the medal race (Final A) and Fitzsimmons is looking forward to racing his team mates.  

“Really excited, we have had some great domestic battles against Tom and Jean, they have been our main training rivals or competition rivals in the last two seasons domestically and it is great to have that sort of depth coming from Australia and it is definitely going to be an intense semi-final tomorrow against them,” Fitzsimmons said.  

Racing at Sea Forest Waterway starts at 9:30 local time (10:30 AEST) with Australia joining the semi-final action from 10:19 local time (11:19 AEST) in the women’s K1 500m, followed by the men’s K2 1000m at 10:26 (11:26 AEST).   

See Thursday, 5 August 2021 race schedule here:  https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/olympic-games/en/results/canoe-sprint/olympic-schedule-and-results-date=2021-08-05.htm 

Australian Start Times, Thursday, 5 August 2021 

Women’s K1 500m 

10:19 local time (11:19 AEST) Semi-final 4 

Lane 3: Alyce Wood 

Lane 6: Alyssa Bull 

Progression: 1st – 2nd to Final A, 3rd – 4th to Final B, 5th-6th to Final C, rest out 

12:22 (13:22 AEST) WK1 500m Final B 

12:29 (13:29 AEST) WK1 500m Final A (medal race) 

Men’s K2 1000m  

10:26 local time (11:26 AEST) Semi-final 1 

Lane 4: Jean van der Westhuyzen + Tom Green 

Lane 6: Riley Fitzsimmmons + Jordan Wood  

Progression: 1st - 4th to Final A, rest to Final B 

12:47 (13:47 AEST) MK2 1000m Final B 

12:55 (13:55 AEST) MK2 1000m Final A (medal race)