Doktor Is In, With Second Gold in 500

Two days, two gold medals. And soon, a hero’s welcome. Life is good, very good, for Czech canoeist Martin Doktor.

Doktor surged from behind to win the 500-meter canoe race, edging Slovakia’s Slavomir Knazovicky for his second gold in two days. His victory in Saturday’s 1,000-meter race was his country’s first canoe-kayak medal since 1952.

“In my town I will be a hero,” said the 22-year-old from the Czech city of Sezemice. “There has been no medal in the last 44 years. Friends will be waiting. There will be an official presentation at the city hall. I think it will be very nice.”

Italy’s Antonio Rossi also picked up his second consecutive gold medal. One day after teaming with Daniele Scarpa to take the 1,000-meter two-man kayak race, he went solo to win the 500.

Italy, Germany and Hungary dominated the flatwater canoe and kayak events. All five Italian boats won medals--two golds, two silvers and a bronze. Germany and Hungary had six medals each, with the Germans taking four golds.

Birgit Fischer of Germany had a chance to set an Olympic record with a ninth career medal, but she finished fourth in the women’s 500 kayak. Rita Koban of Hungary, the 1992 silver medalist, won the gold.

In Sunday’s closest race, Kay Bluhm and Torsten Gutsche of Germany defended their championship in the two-man 500 kayak.

They took the lead in the last 50 meters before Italians Scarpa and Beniamino Bonomi, who were fourth at the midpoint because of a poor start, pulled into a dead heat over the last 10 meters.

But Bluhm and Gutsche prevailed, crossing the line three-hundredths of a second ahead.

Sweden’s Agneta Andersson and Susanne Gunnarsson won the two-woman 500 kayak. And Hungary’s Csaba Horvath and Gyorgy Kolonics won the two-man 500 canoe.

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Medalists / Canoe-Kayak

Men’s 500-Meter Canoe

GOLD: Martin Doktor, Czech Republic

SILVER: Slavomir Knazovicky, Slovakia

BRONZE: Imre Pulai, Hungary

*

Men’s 500 Meter Kayak

GOLD: Antonio Rossi, Italy

SILVER: Knut Holmann, Norway

BRONZE: Piotr Markiewicz, Poland

*

Men’s Canoe Doubles

Canoe Double 500

GOLD: Gyorgy Kolonics and Csaba Horvath, Hungary

SILVER: Nikolai Juravschi and Victor Reneischi, Moldova

BRONZE: Gheorghe Andriev and Grigore Obreja, Romania

*

Men’s Kayak Doubles

GOLD: Kay Bluhm and Torsten Gutsche, Germany

SILVER: Beniamino Bonomi and Daniele Scarpa, Italy

BRONZE: Andrew Trim and Danny Collins, Australia

*

Women’s 500-Meter Kayak

GOLD: Rita Koban, Hungary

SILVER: Caroline Brunet, Canada

BRONZE: Josefa Idem, Italy

*

Women’s Kayak Doubles

GOLD: Agneta Andersson and Susanne Gunnarsson, Sweden

SILVER: Birgit Fischer and Ramona Portwich, Germany

BRONZE: Anna Wood and Katrin Borchert, Australia