Joe Clarke declares himself ‘the man to beat’ after booking his place at next year’s Olympics, as the kayaking star sets his sights on winning TWO gold medals in Paris following his controversial snub in Tokyo

Joe Clarke is bidding to win double Olympic gold in Paris next summer – four years after nearly hanging up his paddle following his controversial Tokyo snub.

The 31-year-old won the kayak K1 event at Rio 2016 but was overlooked for the last Games in favour of team-mate Bradley Forbes-Cryans despite being the world No1.

However, Clarke has bounced back by claiming four world titles in two years to secure his selection for Paris 2024, where he will compete in the K1 he won in Rio and the new kayak cross event.

‘Those people that suffer the lowest lows then appreciate the highs and that’s exactly where I’m at today,’ said Clarke after his place for Paris was confirmed by Team GB on Wednesday.

‘Seven years since I last competed in the Games, then the disappointment of Tokyo, but it all seems like a distant memory now.

Clarke already has one Olympic gold to his name from Rio, but he controversially missed out on the Tokyo Games in 2021

‘It’s a massive high and I’m buzzing to be reselected for a second Games – and there’s two medal opportunities up for grabs this time.

‘I’m the reigning world champion in both of those events. In the right circumstances, I could get two gold medals, which would cement me as the most successful British Olympian in canoe slalom. I am the man to beat.’

Clarke missed out on selection for Tokyo after finishing one place behind Forbes-Cryans in fifth at the World Championships in 2019, something he described as ‘unjust’.

Following the postponement of the 2020 Olympics, the Stoke slalomist argued the squad should be re-selected but his plea was rejected and he contemplated retirement.

‘I questioned whether I wanted to carry on in the sport,’ admitted Clarke. ‘I’d experienced the highest high, an Olympic gold.

‘And then, four years later, I was experiencing the lowest low, in terms of missing out on the Games while being world No1 at the time. It was a difficult pill to swallow.

‘The only thing that probably kept me in the sport in some ways was having a global pandemic that put everything into perspective.

‘But having that year delay also made it more difficult in some ways. It reminded me for another year that I wasn’t part of that Olympic team.

‘We had a big screen down at Lee Valley during Tokyo, so I went down and supported all the athletes with the rest of the team before training in the morning.

‘Don’t get wrong, it was difficult to watch. I would’ve loved to have been there and competed.

‘So it was a breath of fresh air for me when it was completely over. It was like turning the page. That was a chapter I’d left behind and I didn’t want to put myself back there.’

Clarke responded to his setback by winning the kayak cross world title in 2021, which he defended in 2022 and again in London earlier this year. At his home championships in September, he also won the K1 world title for the first time.

Clarke has bounced back from missing the last Olympics, and now wants to win two more gold medals next year in Paris

‘Getting that world title in 2021 kickstarted the Olympic campaign and I’ve gone from strength to strength,’ added Clarke, who also became a father for the first time earlier this year.

‘This year has been my best season to date and I can’t see why we can’t repeat the successes next year.

‘When I set about the Paris project, phase one was to get selected for Paris, and then phase two was to try and win two medals in Paris.

‘Two medals was the original goal, one of them being gold, but that’s probably underegging myself. I think I’m capable of more.’