Nevin Harrison Claims Her Second Olympic Medal in Canoe Sprint

VAIRES-SUR-MARNE, France — Nevin Harrison came to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 to defend her Olympic gold medal in women’s canoe sprint.

The 22-year-old American came oh-so-close. In a photo finish, Harrison claimed silver behind Canada’s Katie Vincent. 

“Having come off gold from Tokyo into silver, it's disappointing in the moment,” Harrison admitted. “But I think in reflection, it's nothing but pride and feeling really happy with myself that I went out there and fought as hard as I did. 

“But in that moment when you know, it was just so close, you're always going to have those little 'what ifs' in the back of your head.”

Their times — 44.12 for Vincent, 44.13 for Harrison — smashed the former world and Olympic best times. The former world best for the 200-meter canoe (44.50) had stood since May 2018. Harrison’s Olympic best from 2020 was 44.93.

“I knew that I could go that fast and I'm sure (Vincent) did too,” said Harrison. “Finally putting those times down and breaking that world record that happened so long ago definitely I'm sure felt good for her, and I'm incredibly happy for her. That's got to be the best accomplishment ever. 

“But I'm also proud of myself. I put that time down too, and hers might have been a hundredth of a second faster, but it's still a world record in my heart.”

Women’s canoe sprint made its Olympic debut at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, and Harrison, 19 at the time, became the sport’s second-youngest female champion. At the time, she said, "Because I'm so young, I've got to have one more Olympics in me, at least."

But the Seattle, Washington, native has had a tough paddle since Tokyo — moving to San Diego, changing coaches, enrolling at San Diego State University, and balancing her classes, training, and work while also combatting injuries. A year ago, Harrison did not even know if she would make it to the Paris Games.

“Being here in the first place was a blessing in and of itself,” she said, “and any medal that I would bring home would be even just a cherry on top.”

Injuries flared up a week ago when Harrison tore ligaments in her neck. On Tuesday this week, the pain was so bad after practice that she cried.

“Fighting that in the last week and trying to make sure having lidocaine patches on my neck every single practice, fighting that pain has been really hard on top of it,” she said. “You always wonder what if I didn't hurt myself last week? What would I have been able to do? 

“But ultimately, you can't change what's happened, and you really just have to take it day by day, and that's what I've done. I couldn't be more proud.”

Always athletic, Harrison discovered the sport of canoe at summer camp when she was 11 years old. Until then, she was a 100- and 200-meter sprinter in middle school. But a hip injury led doctors to diagnose her with hip dysplasia. She needed surgery if she wanted to continue with track and field. Surprisingly, given that canoe athletes kneel in a lunge in narrow boats and power the single paddle with their cores, from shoulders to hips (and legs as well), canoe was a sport Harrison could do effectively, even with hip problems.

"It was probably the most devastating feeling I ever had, because the doctor told me I was never going to compete in sports again if I didn't get a really intense surgery,” she said after winning gold in Tokyo. “That was just not something I was going to be able to do at that age. I felt my whole world ripped away from me because I was always an athletic kid. That's always what I did. Can I start over? I found something that worked for me and I know never to take advantage of anything again, because I took advantage of being able to run.”

While men have competed in various distances of flatwater canoe since the Olympic Games Berlin 1936, and women in kayaking since Olympic Games London 1948, the canoe sprint was only added to the Olympic program in 2020.

Already a world champion in the 200-meter sprint in 2019, Nevin was a heavy favorite to win gold in that inaugural Olympic event. But she was still young, just a year out of high school. Then the following year, at the 2022 world championships, she won the world title again. 

Harrison has, like most people her age, moved into adulthood since Tokyo. She moved to San Diego and loves living near the beach. She is studying kinesiology at San Diego State and has one year to go. And she’s adopted a puppy. She even surfs on occasion. Was there still room for one more Olympic Games?

“I fought hard to get my mental health back to where it needed to be,” she said. “And I can't even credit myself to pretty much any of it. The support system I had around me, my sports psychologists, my coach, my family, my friends, all of them built me back into the person that I am right now.”

Last year, Nevin experienced her first big loss: she finished fourth at world championships. Was another Olympic gold even possible?

Harrison started her 2024 Olympic campaign by setting the fastest time in the heats and advancing straight to the semifinals. In the semis, she crossed the line with the second fastest time.

“It just sort of reminded me that I am capable of stacking up against these girls when I felt like I wasn't able to in the last year or two,” Harrison said of competing so well in the heats leading up to the final. “It brought me back into my own competence a little bit.”

In the final, Harrison paddled up to the line with four other world championship medalists, including Vincent, who is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist in the canoe double (500 meters), and the 2021 world champion at 200 meters.

Less than 45 seconds later, no one knew who had won. Vincent and Harrison crossed the line in what looked like a dead heat. A photo finish gave the win to the Canadian.

“It is less than a blink of an eye for sure,” said Harrison, when asked to explain one-hundredth of a second. “But that's what sprints are. It's always going to be by measurements that you can't even see.”

Even though her medal was silver not gold, Harrison will cherish the Paris Games because she could hug her family after the race.

“I wouldn't trade that for the world,” she said. “I definitely got yelled at by security just now because I went through the gate. But giving my mom, my dad, my boyfriend, all of them hugs was so worth it. I would take this Olympics a million times over the last one because I was able to share it with the people that I love.”

An award-winning freelance writer based in Vermont, Peggy Shinn is in Paris covering her eighth Olympic Games. She has contributed to TeamUSA.org since its inception in 2008.