Joe Clarke, the world champion, knows that he may spill blood when he competes for the gold medal in the new Olympic discipline kayak cross in the Paris White Water Centre in August.

Clarke, when asked to describe how physically demanding the event is after a session of training at the British Team base in Waltham Abbey played a video on his phone.

The video shows him taking a punch to the face with the blade of another kayak during a training run in Australia. Blood is streaming down his face.

"It was a huge knock, but it's possible," Clarke, a three-time world champion in kayak crossing, formerly known as extreme slalom told Reuters. "I was hit by a boat on the head. "They glued it together and I had to be out for five full days."

Clarke is now recovered from his injury and is excited to be able to present an event that he believes will be a must-see.

Clarke says that the "head to head" element is what keeps people on their toes. "The feedback is immediate, the first person across the line. People can have a bad start, but suddenly go from being fourth to first. Or from first to fourth."

Canoe slaloms such as the K1 event are traditionally against the clock. Paddlers navigate a course of gate in the turbulent water as quickly and efficiently as possible, without incurring time penalties.

Kayak Cross starts off with solo timed runs, but it gets wild. Then, paddlers compete in knockout heats with four boats, launching off a steep ramp and picking their way through the course. They may even have to do an Eskimo before crossing the finish line.

Clarke warns that the situation is fast-paced and frantic, with contact being almost certain.

He said, "If you get a bad start from someone you don't want the red mist to descend and chase them."

Your decisions must be made in the present. You'll be punished if you make the wrong decision. I always have a plan A, B C D E before I enter races.

You can earn medals for making those decisions.

EXTREME SPORT

Kayak Cross is the latest extreme sports added to the Olympic programme by the International Olympic Committee, along with other like BMX racing, freestyle and skate boarding.

He said: "I mean, a canoe-slalom race usually lasts about a half hour or forty minutes. Unless you're really into it, that is pretty boring."

The attention span is like that of a goldfish today, so if the kayak cross race finishes in 45 seconds with the winner being the first to cross the finish line then people are likely to be on the edge of the sofa.

Clarke, 31, says that while his first love is the traditional and technical K1, adding kayak cross to his repertoire has given him new life. He even plans to extend his career and compete in Los Angeles 2028.

He said, "It is exciting to have this as a medal-event." "Everyone is jumping at it, and it's been a whirlwind ever since I became the world champion for first time in 2021."

Clarke says that while it is not always easy, he believes the key to his success lies in having a fast start and staying out from trouble.

He said, "You can only control so much. But you create your own luck." "My greatest strength is to get out in front and off the ramp very quickly.

The more you are involved in the hustle and bustle, the more it becomes a lottery.

Clarke, who is a world champion at both his events, will arrive in Paris knowing he'll be the one to beat.

"I'm sure they will come for me, but I have been there before and done it." "The pressure comes mainly from me." (Reporting and editing by Ken Ferris; Martyn Herman)