OKC Gains an Esteemed Place in Sports History

Story and photos by Darl DeVault, contributing editor

In the fourth week of July, Oklahoma City stepped onto the world Olympic sports stage in anticipation of its giant leap there, as two sports of the 2028 LA Olympics will be hosted here two years from now. The 2026 International Canoe Federation (ICF) Canoe Slalom World Championship was held to great fanfare downtown on the Oklahoma River at the RIVERSPORTS whitewater center.
OKC Mayor David Holt told the opening ceremony crowd that the event is special in the city’s history. “This will be the first time Oklahoma City has hosted the World Championships of a longstanding Olympic sport.” Holt said, “It will serve as a critical tune-up for the 2028 Olympic Games, when Oklahoma City will host the canoe slalom events at this venue.”
He also noted that if not for the upcoming Olympics, this World Championship would stand alone as a “crowning achievement” for the city and the MAPS 3 project, which funded the construction of the whitewater facility in 2009.
The Australian National Team was well represented among the 50 countries competing. Jessica Fox, 32, from Penrith, Australia, and a distinguished racing family, including her sister Noemie, who was also competing, won early and often. Noemie won Olympic gold in kayak cross at the 2024 Paris Games, and both of their parents were international medalists in the sport.
Jessica is widely considered the greatest paddler of all time. She has won 6 Olympic medals including golds in both K1 and C1 from the 2024 Paris Games and 14 World Championship gold medals. Her career total across all major events is unrivaled in the sport’s history.
Jessica earned two new World gold medals to add to that count by the second day on the water at OKC. The Fox sisters highlighted the second day with a World title defense in the Women’s Kayak Team event alongside teammate Kate Eckhardt.
The women’s field boasted significantly higher career medal counts in both Olympic and World Championship competition than their male counterparts. While the men’s field featured impressive champions, no male athlete matches Fox’s historic medal count.
Joe Clarke MBE of Great Britain, a specialist in kayak disciplines, was the Rio 2016 Olympic Champion and has won 7 World Championship titles. He won the kayak cross gold on the opening day of the 2026 World Championships. The 33-year-old surged to victory in the individual time trial at the OKC Canoe Slalom venue in 46.54 seconds.
On Thursday, July 23, Jessica Fox won the gold medal in the Women’s K1 Final, claiming her fifth career World title in the event. She delivered a flawless run on the 2028 Olympic course to beat American Evy Leibfarth by 1.31 seconds.
The Australian sisters also displayed a newly adopted local flair during the opening ceremony at the McClendon Whitewater Center. They were both wearing brown cowboy boots. “Gotta embrace the cowgirl style and that cowgirl confidence,” Jessie said after wearing them again on the podium following her first win.
More was to come on the water, but this accounting is cut short because of deadlines in our monthly issues.
This was the first time the event had been held in North America since 2014. For athletes from around the world, this was their first opportunity to experience what will be the 2028 Olympic course.
In the canoe slalom events, athletes kneel in single-bladed canoes, navigating a whitewater course through downstream and upstream gates with precision and speed.
In the kayak slalom, paddlers sit in kayaks using double-bladed paddles to race a whitewater course, maneuvering cleanly through challenging gate sequences.
Having made its Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games, kayak cross is elevating whitewater competition to a whole new level. Four kayakers launch from an elevated ramp, battling head-to-head through gates where they can make contact with other boats and are required to execute a mid-course Eskimo roll in an all-out sprint to the finish.
RIVERSPORT’s course is 1,000 feet long (304.8 meters) and drops 14’ 9” (4.54 meters) from start to finish. Eight million gallons of water are powered by five pumps, creating level III-IV rapids during competition.
Oklahoma City also hosted the 2026 ICF Ordinary Congress on July 26-27 at the Omni Hotel. The American Canoe Association, the City of Oklahoma City, and Riversport, OKC, submitted the bid for the ICF Congress.
On Saturday, July 25, a special Gala Dinner kicked off the official Congress weekend festivities at RIVERSPORT OKC.
Sunday, July 26, was the first day of official meetings, featuring an evening outdoor activity followed by hors d’oeuvres back at RIVERSPORT OKC. Monday, July 27, marked the second day of official meetings.
RIVERSPORT is a US Olympic & Paralympic Training Site – one of only a few in the United States – and regularly hosts national and international competitions in rowing and canoe/kayak. RIVERSPORT Rapids, Oklahoma City’s whitewater center, will serve as the Olympic venue for canoe slalom and kayak cross at the LA28 Olympic Games.