Kayak Cross Is An Electric Olympic Sport That You Need To Watch More Of In 2028

One of the best parts about the Olympics is that you get to see unorthodox and unusual sports that you normally wouldn’t follow performed at the highest level.

Let’s be real, unless you’re a closet nerd, there’s no way you’re using your spare time to watch table tennis, badminton or water polo - unless it’s done at the Olympics. But that’s the beauty of this event; you’re opened to new, fun experiences that you normally wouldn’t seek out for yourself.

I got one of those experiences this morning when I watched the kayak cross final. What the heck is "kayak cross," you might ask?

Picture this: take everything you think you know about kayaking - the peaceful pace, the scenic views - and throw it out the window. In this sport, the intensity is dialed up to 11, and it's absolutely electric.

Just watch this, and then we’ll talk about it.

Why haven’t we seen this before? Well, for starters, this was the first year it was an Olympic sport. But my gosh, I can’t wait to see more of it!

They drop the guys from about 10 feet above the water (epic), make them play bumper cars for a bit (genius), threw in some chances for guys to show off their tight-space maneuvering skills (sick), and required rowers to flip upside down to continue (savage). If you’re not entertained by that, I don’t know if I can trust your taste in anything really.

I don’t know if this is something I’d ever get into. I quite like my gentle, visually pleasing rides down calm streams where flipping is optional. But if you're looking for a new sport to get into when the 2028 Olympics come to Los Angeles, kayak cross is it.

You can bet I'll be watching as much of this as I can in four years.