FILE PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Canoe Sprint - Women's K4 500m - Medal Ceremony - Sea Forest Waterway, Tokyo, Japan – August 7, 2021. Gold medallists Danuta Kozak of Hungary, Tamara Csipes of Hungary, Anna Karasz of Hungary and Dora Bodonyi of Hungary celebrate on the podium REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov/File Photo FILE PHOTO: Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Canoe Sprint - Men's K1 1000m - Medal Ceremony - Sea Forest Waterway, Tokyo, Japan – August 3, 2021. Gold medallist Balint Kopasz of Hungary celebrates on the podium with silver medallist Adam Varga of Hungary REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo PARIS - Few would expect a land-locked country like Hungary to be a water sports superpower but the nation's canoeists have long been a rich source of Olympic medals and begin their quest for more on Saturday.
The Hungarians have sent a formidable 16-member team to France, including twice Olympic champion sprinter Tamara Csipes and Tokyo gold medal winner Balint Kopasz. "Canoeing is one of the sports in Hungary with the richest history - the Hungarian canoeing federation is more than 80 years old and has around 200 clubs," Balint Szakacs, managing director of the federation, told Reuters in an interview ahead of the Paris Games. "It is not the most popular sport in Hungary of course - ball sports like football, basketball, handball and water polo are very popular also - but canoeing has become the (country's) most successful Olympic sport in the last 25 years," he added.
Hungary's Olympic triumphs.