Kimberley Woods takes kayak bronze in thrilling women’s final

Kimberley Woods claimed her first Olympic medal with kayak bronze at the The Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in Paris.

The Rugby paddler, 28, qualified for the final in third position from the afternoon’s semis and was sitting in silver medal position behind Australian world champion Jess Fox after clocking 98.94 with the fastest two semi-finalists to go.

Poland’s Klaudia Zwolinska slid into second, leaving Woods with an agonising wait to see if Germany’s Ricarda Funk would slip up – and that is precisely what the Tokyo 2020 defending Olympic champion did at the bottom of the course.

It was redemption for Woods, who three years ago at her first Games in Tokyo finished last in the K1 final after receiving 56 penalties.