Alexander Grimm of Germany won the gold medal on Tuesday in single kayak slalom, using a pair of clean, fast runs to take the top spot on the podium. Fabien Lefevre of France was the silver medalist and Togo's Benjamin Boukpeti won the bronze medal.
Togo’s Benjamin Boukpeti won the bronze medal, slamming his paddle to the frothy water in celebration. He is the first black man to win a medal in a slalom event, according to the International Canoe Federation.
Grimm, ranked No. 3 in the world, won in a combined time of 171.70 seconds.
Boukpeti had the crowd wildly cheering him on as the neared the end of the whitewater course. He slapped hands with fans from his kayak. Boukpeti’s paddle snapped in half during the celebration, although he hardly seemed to care.
