Canoeist Ricarda Funk wins Germany's first Olympic gold medal

After a handful of disappointments as some of Germany’s most promising athletes missed out on medals, slalom canoeist Ricarda Funk has come through to claim the federal republic’s first Olympic gold at the Tokyo games. 

Olympic gold for German canoeist

On the fourth day of the games, the German Olympic team has finally won its first gold medal, with Ricarda Funk posting the fastest time on the slalom K-1 canoe course. The 29-year-old champion from Augsburg managed to beat out the competition with a time that was 1,13 seconds faster than defending champion Maialen Chourraut from Spain and 1,23 seconds ahead of Australia’s Jessica Fox, who was favourite to win. 

“I just can’t believe it, I just can’t believe it,” Funk said, with tears in her eyes, before she and her coaching team jumped into the water in celebration. The win is a dream come true for Funk, who had hoped to participate in both the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games but failed to qualify each time. 

Germany has won four medals so far at Tokyo Olympics

Funk’s gold medal is the second won by Germany’s slalom canoeing team, after Sideris Tasiasdis won bronze in the men’s slalom C-1 event on Monday. The German Olympic team also claimed two further bronze medals on Sunday, in the women’s diving and archery events. So far, the federal republic stands at position 17 in the medals table. 

Day 4 of the Tokyo Olympics will see German dressage rider Isabelle Werth make a claim for her seventh Olympic gold medal, while later in the afternoon German tennis doubles Alexander Zverev and Jan-Lennard Struff will take on the French duo Jeremy Chardy and Gaël Monfils in the quarter-finals.