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 almost hanging up his paddle following his controversial criticism of Tokyo.

The 31-year-old won the kayak K1 event at Rio 2016 but was overlooked in favor of teammate Bradley Forbes-Cryans at the last Games despite being ranked No. 1 in the world.

However, Clarke has bounced back to claim 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.

“The people who suffer the lowest of lows then appreciate the highs and that’s exactly where I am today,” Clarke said after his place for Paris was confirmed by Team GB on Wednesday.

‘It’s been seven years since I last took part 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 the 2021 Tokyo Games

‘It’s a huge highlight and I’m eager to be selected again for a second Games – and this time there are two medal opportunities up for grabs.

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

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

Following the postponement of the 2020 Olympics, the Stoke slalomist argued that the squad should be reselected, but his plea was rejected and he considered retiring.

“I wondered if I wanted to continue with the sport,” Clarke admitted. ‘I had experienced the highest highlight, an Olympic gold.

‘And then, four years later, I experienced the lowest low, in terms of missing the Games when I was number one in the world at the time. It was a hard pill to swallow.

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

“But that year’s postponement also made it more difficult in some ways. It reminded me one more year that I wasn’t part of that Olympic team.

“We had a big screen in 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 me wrong, it was hard to watch. I would have liked to have been there and participated.

‘So it was a relief for me when it was completely over. It was like turning the page. That was a chapter I had left behind and I didn’t want to put myself back in there.”

Clarke responded to his setback by winning the 2021 kayak cross world title, 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 recovered from missing the last Olympics and now wants to win two more gold medals in Paris next year

“Winning that world title in 2021 kicked off 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 yet and I don’t understand why we can’t repeat the successes next year.

“When I started the Paris project, phase one was selecting for Paris, and phase two was trying to win two medals in Paris.

‘The original goal was two medals, one of which was gold, but I’m probably not overestimating myself with that. I think I’m capable of more.’