Country: Germany | Discipline: Sprint Canoe (C1 1000m) | Olympics: London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020
G’Power paddle: BIONIC (no longer made) | Olympic medals: 3 Gold, 1 Bronze
Sebastian Brendel was the dominant force in sprint canoe C1 1000m. He won Olympic gold at London 2012 and defended the title at Rio 2016, becoming the first paddler to win consecutive C1 1000m golds in 64 years. He raced on the G’Power BIONIC paddle, a model G’Power no longer makes. Brendel ended his career in 2025.
Olympic Record
| Games | Event | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo 2020 | C2 1000m | Bronze |
| Rio 2016 | C2 1000m | Gold (with Jan Vandrey) |
| Rio 2016 | C1 1000m | Gold (defended title) |
| London 2012 | C1 1000m | Gold |
World Championship Titles
Brendel won 13 World Championship gold medals between 2013 and 2022 in C1, C2 and C4 events, ten of them in C1 1000 m and C1 5000 m. He competed for KC Potsdam and the German national team.
Why G’Power
Sprint canoe C1 paddles require maximum power transfer through a single-blade stroke. The BIONIC paddle used monocoque construction, with blade and shaft as one continuous carbon piece. No joint meant no flex point. The 30 mm shaft gave the stiffness that high-stroke-rate C1 1000m technique demands.
An Olympic C1 1000 m final lasts about four minutes. The weight and stiffness of the BIONIC paddle counted in every stroke of that race.
Equipment Specs
- Paddle: G’Power BIONIC (no longer made), monocoque construction, 100% carbon
- Shaft diameter: 30 mm (sprint standard)
- Construction: Monocoque (blade + shaft = single piece, no joint)
- Blade type: Sprint canoe single blade with concave shaping
Current G’Power models for this discipline are in the flatwater paddle range. Read more about how to choose a sprint paddle and compare all G’Power models in our carbon fiber paddle comparison.
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