Introducing Kayak Cross: The Wild New Sport Making Waves at the Olympics.

Multi Sports General

Introducing Kayak Cross: The Wild New Sport Making Waves at the Olympics.

The gates open, and that's the only sure thing.

A brief moment of calmness precedes the rush, a chance for deep breaths to steady racing hearts and surging adrenaline.

What happens after the ramp drop is pure chaos—a wild swirl of colorful boats and frantic paddles cutting through fierce white water.

It's a brutal, full-contact, high-energy sport that even requires a 360-degree boat roll underwater.

At the end of it all, Britain's Kimberley Woods emerged as the kayak cross world champion.

"Hectic. Absolutely hectic. That’s what I love so much about it—you never know what’s going to happen," says Woods, 28. "You always have the favorites, but anything can happen in this race."