Joseph Clarke (born 3 November 1992) is a British slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2009, specializing in the K1 (kayak) and KX1 (extreme kayak/kayak cross) events.
He is the 2016 Olympic champion in the K1 event, and the silver medalist in kayak cross from the 2024 Summer Olympics. He is also the 2023 World Champion in K1, a quadruple World Champion in the kayak cross discipline, and has won multiple medals at World and European Championships. He is the most successful kayak cross competitor at global level in the history of the event.
Early life Clarke was born in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire. He first tried canoeing during a trip with The Scout Association at the age of eight. He then applied to join the Stafford and Stone Canoe Club, but was rejected for being too young. He was given the chance to reapply through his middle school's canoeing club during year six at Walton Priory Middle School, but as they only had eight places available which were greatly oversubscribed he was required to write a letter to demonstrate why he deserved a place. His application was successful and he began training with the club, competing in his first race in 2004 at the age of 11. Clarke supports local team Stoke City F.C.
Clarke attended Alleyne's Academy high school, after going to his middle school Walton Priory Middle School. At the age of 15 he contracted bacterial meningitis which caused an abscess behind one eye. He was in hospital for two weeks and was treated with intravenous antibiotics, after which he made a full recovery.
Career Clarke made his debut for the British junior team in 2009, winning junior European Championship silver medals in the K1 team event in 2009 and 2010. He has trained at the Lee Valley White Water Centre since 2012.
He won a European Championship under-23 silver medal in the individual K1 in 2013, and World Championship silver medals in the under-23 team event in 2013 and 2014.
At senior level, he won 12 medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with seven golds (K1: 2023; Kayak cross: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025; Kayak cross individual: 2026; K1 team: 2018), two silvers (K1 team: 2022, Kayak cross individual: 2025) and three bronzes (K1 team: 2014, 2015, 2025).
He also won seven medals (1 gold, 2 silvers and 4 bronzes) at the European Championships, including a bronze medal in the K1 event at the 2023 European Games in Kraków.
Clarke won the overall World Cup title in kayak cross in 2023 and 2024 and in kayak cross individual in 2026.
Clarke was selected for the 2016 Summer Olympics after winning the individual K1 at the British selection trials in October 2015. At the Olympics he qualified for the final of the K1 event with the third fastest time in the semi-final. He won gold in the final with a time of 88.53 seconds, the first time a British competitor had won gold in this event. He also competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, where he won a silver medal in kayak cross and finished 5th in the K1 event.
Honours and other work Clarke was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to canoeing.
In 2018, Clarke guest starred in the third episode of the fourth series of the CBBC children cooking show Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch.
World Cup individual podiums Total K1 3 5 2 10 Kayak cross 4 2 3 9 Kayak cross individual 3 1 0 4 Total 10 8 5 23
SeasonDateVenuePositionEvent 2014 16 August 2014 Augsburg 2nd K1 2018 24 June 2018 Liptovský Mikuláš 3rd K1 1 July 2018 Kraków 1st K1 2019 16 June 2019 Lee Valley 1st K1 2021 11 September 2021 Pau 3rd K1 2022 12 June 2022 Prague 2nd Kayak cross 18 June 2022 Kraków 2nd K1 19 June 2022 Kraków 3rd Kayak cross 2023 2 June 2023 Augsburg 2nd K1 4 June 2023 Augsburg 3rd Kayak cross 18 June 2023 Tacen 1st Kayak cross 2 September 2023 La Seu d'Urgell 2nd K1 3 September 2023 La Seu d'Urgell 2nd Kayak cross 2024 14 June 2024 Kraków 1st K1 22 September 2024 La Seu d'Urgell 1st Kayak cross 2025 31 August 2025 Tacen 1st Kayak cross individual 2026 31 May 2026 Tacen 3rd Kayak cross 5 June 2026 Prague 2nd K1 7 June 2026 Prague 2nd Kayak cross individual 14 June 2026 Augsburg 1st Kayak cross 5 September 2026 Vaires-sur-Marne 1st Kayak cross individual 5 September 2026 Vaires-sur-Marne 1st Kayak cross 10 September 2026 La Seu d'Urgell 1st Kayak cross individual
Results 2009 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run22–26 JulyJunior European ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat110.28108.97108.9727K1 Men Team HeatN/A 121.974 K1 Men Team FinalN/A115.452
2010 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run8–11 JulyJunior World ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat102.40101.18101.183K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A122.7930K1 Men Team FinalN/A116.4054–7 AugustJunior European ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat98.2396.9796.974K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A104.8816K1 Men Team FinalN/A115.022
2011 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run1–3 JulyWorld Cup Race 2K1 Men Individual Heat102.40103.92102.404414–17 JulyU23 European ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat97.84100.5497.8415 K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A101.6018K1 Men Team Semi-finalN/A106.022K1 Men Team FinalN/A117.736~World Cup Final StandingsK1 Men IndividualN/A117
2012 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run11–15 JulyU23 World ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat115.37 unknown30K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A108.9612K1 Men Team FinalN/A131.15106–9 SeptemberU23 European ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat113.38111.02111.028K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A105.125K1 Men Individual FinalN/A107.607K1 Men TeamN/A128.619
2013 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run6–9 JuneEuropean ChampionshipK1 Men Individual HeatN/A85.768K1 Men Individual FinalN/A138.0713K1 Men Team FinalN/A103.24721–23 JuneWorld Cup Race 1K1 Men IndividualunknownK1 Men Team FinalN/A107.8545–7 JulyWorld Cup Race 3K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A103.4030K1 Men Team Finalunknown17–21 JulyU23 World ChampionshipK1 Men Individualunknown31K1 Men Teamunknown230 July – 4 AugustU23 European ChampionshipK1 Men Individualunknown2K1 Men Teamunknown416–18 AugustWorld Cup Race 4K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A112.0529K1 Men Team FinalN/A125.27811–15 SeptemberWorld ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat140.8188.1088.109K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A97.646K1 Men Individual FinalN/A101.076K1 Men Team FinalN/A113.945~World Cup Final StandingsK1 Men IndividualN/A35
2014 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run22–27 AprilU23 World ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat95.0694.4494.449K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A100.9311K1 Men Team FinalN/A106.32229 May – 1 JuneEuropean ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat87.52136.3587.5213zK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A88.3015K1 Men Individual FinalN/A91.4711K1 Men Team FinalN/A98.7526–8 JuneWorld Cup Race 1K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A97.8811K1 Men Team FinalN/A108.71113–15 JuneWorld Cup Race 2K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A152.1034K1 Men Team FinalN/A122.92820–22 JuneWorld Cup Race 3K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalunknownK1 Men Individual FinalN/A98.766K1 Men Team FinalN/A157.21101–3 AugustWorld Cup Race 4K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A97.682415–17 AugustWorld Cup FinalK1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalunknownK1 Men Individual FinalN/A95.492K1 Men Team FinalN/A113.92617–21 SepWorld ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat101.05204.40101.0519K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A156.3636K1 Men Team FinalN/A123.243~World Cup Final StandingsK1 Men IndividualN/A4
2015 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run28–31 MayEuropean ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat94.91unknown1K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A95.143K1 Men Individual FinalN/A96.168K1 Men Team FinalN/A108.01219–21 JuneWorld Cup Race 1K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalunknownK1 Men Individual FinalN/ADSQ-R10K1 Men Team FinalN/A103.19426–28 JuneWorld Cup Race 2K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalunknownK1 Men Individual FinalN/A82.4843–5 JulyWorld Cup Race 3K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A98.7729K1 Men Team FinalN/ADNS=167–9 AugustWorld Cup Race 4K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalunknownK1 Men Individual FinalN/A96.05914–16 AugustWorld Cup FinalK1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A100.2318K1 Men Team FinalN/A106.48216–20 SeptemberWorld ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat81.47unknown2K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A142.5738K1 Men Team FinalN/A106.383~World Cup Final StandingsK1 Men IndividualN/A7
2016 DateTournamentEventScorePlace Run 1 Run 2 Best Run13–15 MayEuropean ChampionshipK1 Men Individual Heat92.58unknown19K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A94.985K1 Men Individual FinalN/A144.5810K1 Men Team FinalN/A118.17410–12 JuneWorld Cup Race 2K1 Men Individual HeatunknownK1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A96.16187–11 AugustOlympic GamesK1 Men Individual Heat135.8986.9586.952K1 Men Individual Semi-finalN/A90.673K1 Men Individual FinalN/A88.531World Cup Final StandingsK1 Men IndividualN/A61
References
External links
Joseph Clarke at Paddle UK