As you approach the Kasai Canoe Slalom Center in eastern Tokyo, the first thing you see are carefully stacked racing canoes, their sleek, pointed hulls gleaming in the sun.
Behind the canoes, a torrent of water runs down a specially designed slope, the scene of this afternoon's men's canoe slalom final.
The slalom canoe course is 200 meters long, with 25 gates that canoeists must dodge, turn, and weave between them using a single paddle to propel themselves as they are swept along the course by a torrent of water. From top to bottom, there is a 4.5 meter height difference, designed to replicate a fast-flowing mountain stream.
In the competition, Japanese Takuya Haneda briefly led the semifinals and eventually qualified for the final in 10th place with a time of 107.82 seconds. Frenchman Martin Thomas led the pack to the final with a time of 100.65.
Haneda was first in the final and received a 4-second penalty after knocking on two doors for a finish time of 109.30, slower than his semi-final career. Close competition followed, which was ultimately won after a brilliantly clean run by 2017 world champion Benjamin Savsek (Slovenia) in a time of 98.25 seconds, the only competitor to finish below the 100-second mark. Lukas Rohan (Czech Republic) took silver and Sideris Tasiadis (Germany) took bronze.
"It's really unbelievable. It's a good step from world champion to Olympic champion," Savsek said. "This is the first canoeing medal for Slovenia, and I am very proud to achieve this medal, especially gold."
The Kasai Canoe Slalom Center, Japan's first man-made slalom course, is open to the elements and you can start cooking in the sweltering heat of Tokyo's summer. The concrete that surrounds the water is heated, but also the water, which is recycled over and over again over the 200-meter run with little chance of cooling.
"I think the heat today was not that big of a problem, but the water is still warm," Savsek said. "Qualifications were more difficult due to the heat."
The weekend's qualifications, which took place under relentlessly sunny skies, were brutal for the athletes. The heat of the water posed challenges, sapped the athletes' strength and forced them to rely on cooling packs and ice cold towels to cool off after each race.
Jessica Fox, who won the women's kayaking heats on Sunday, compared it to paddling in a "hot bath" and said it was the warmest water she had ever competed in.
With no fans to attend these Olympics, the athletes competed with little support in the stands; the sound of running water from the course and cicadas in the surrounding Kasai Rinkai Park offered more consistent support than attendees.
"It's not so good not having spectators here," said Sideris Tasiadis. โWith the cheers, you get more and more motivation to go down (the field), but of course it's crown and we are very happy to have the Olympics. "
The Kasai Canoe Slalom Center is expected to open to the public after the Games, in the hope that it will help develop the sport in Japan. Japan's current canoe slalom scene is primarily focused on mountain rivers, making the sport inaccessible to all but the most enthusiastic enthusiasts.
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