Joseph "Joe" Clarke, MBE (born 3 November 1992) is a British slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2009, specializing in the K1 event. He is the 2016 Olympic champion in the K1 event and has won medals in team events at World and European Championships.
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 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 three medals in the K1 team event at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with a gold (2018) and two bronzes (2014, 2015). He also won two silver medals in the same event at the 2014 and 2015 European Championships.
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 semifinal. 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.
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.
Clarke narrowly missed out on selection for the tokyo 2020 olympics. Following the postponement of the games, Clarke tried to force British Canoeing to abandon the selected athletes and have a new selection process for the olympic team. Unfortunately for Clarke this idea was rejected and British Canoeing have decided to stand by the existing team selection to allow these athletes to focus on the postponed games.
World Cup individual podiums
Season | Date | Venue | Position | Event |
---|
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 |
Results
2009
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
22–26 July | Junior European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 110.28 | 108.97 | 108.97 | 27 |
K1 Men Team Heat | N/A | 121.97 | 4 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 115.45 | 2 |
2010
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
8–11 July | Junior World Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 102.40 | 101.18 | 101.18 | 3 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 122.79 | 30 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 116.40 | 5 |
4–7 August | Junior European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 98.23 | 96.97 | 96.97 | 4 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 104.88 | 16 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 115.02 | 2 |
2011
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
1–3 July | World Cup Race 2 | K1 Men Individual Heat | 102.40 | 103.92 | 102.40 | 44 |
14–17 July | U23 European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 97.84 | 100.54 | 97.84 | 15 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 101.60 | 18 |
K1 Men Team Semi-final | N/A | 106.02 | 2 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 117.73 | 6 |
~ | World Cup Final Standings | K1 Men Individual | N/A | 117 |
2012
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
11–15 July | U23 World Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 115.37 | unknown | 30 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 108.96 | 12 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 131.15 | 10 |
6–9 September | U23 European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 113.38 | 111.02 | 111.02 | 8 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 105.12 | 5 |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 107.60 | 7 |
K1 Men Team | N/A | 128.61 | 9 |
2013
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
6–9 June | European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | N/A | 85.76 | 8 |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 138.07 | 13 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 103.24 | 7 |
21–23 June | World Cup Race 1 | K1 Men Individual | unknown |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 107.85 | 4 |
5–7 July | World Cup Race 3 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 103.40 | 30 |
K1 Men Team Final | unknown |
17–21 July | U23 World Championship | K1 Men Individual | unknown | 31 |
K1 Men Team | unknown | 2 |
30 July – 4 August | U23 European Championship | K1 Men Individual | unknown | 2 |
K1 Men Team | unknown | 4 |
16–18 August | World Cup Race 4 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 112.05 | 29 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 125.27 | 8 |
11–15 September | World Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 140.81 | 88.10 | 88.10 | 9 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 97.64 | 6 |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 101.07 | 6 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 113.94 | 5 |
~ | World Cup Final Standings | K1 Men Individual | N/A | 35 |
2014
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
22–27 April | U23 World Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 95.06 | 94.44 | 94.44 | 9 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 100.93 | 11 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 106.32 | 2 |
29 May – 1 June | European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 87.52 | 136.35 | 87.52 | 13z |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 88.30 | 15 |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 91.47 | 11 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 98.75 | 2 |
6–8 June | World Cup Race 1 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 97.88 | 11 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 108.71 | 1 |
13–15 June | World Cup Race 2 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 152.10 | 34 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 122.92 | 8 |
20–22 June | World Cup Race 3 |
K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 98.76 | 6 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 157.21 | 10 |
1–3 August | World Cup Race 4 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 97.68 | 24 |
15–17 August | World Cup Final | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 95.49 | 2 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 113.92 | 6 |
17–21 Sep | World Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 101.05 | 204.40 | 101.05 | 19 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 156.36 | 36 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 123.24 | 3 |
~ | World Cup Final Standings | K1 Men Individual | N/A | 4 |
2015
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
28–31 May | European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 94.91 | unknown | 1 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 95.14 | 3 |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 96.16 | 8 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 108.01 | 2 |
19–21 June | World Cup Race 1 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | DSQ-R | 10 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 103.19 | 4 |
26–28 June | World Cup Race 2 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 82.48 | 4 |
3–5 July | World Cup Race 3 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 98.77 | 29 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | DNS | =16 |
7–9 August | World Cup Race 4 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 96.05 | 9 |
14–16 August | World Cup Final | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 100.23 | 18 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 106.48 | 2 |
16–20 September | World Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 81.47 | unknown | 2 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 142.57 | 38 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 106.38 | 3 |
~ | World Cup Final Standings | K1 Men Individual | N/A | 7 |
2016
Date | Tournament | Event | Score | Place |
---|
Run 1 | Run 2 | Best Run |
---|
13–15 May | European Championship | K1 Men Individual Heat | 92.58 | unknown | 19 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 94.98 | 5 |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 144.58 | 10 |
K1 Men Team Final | N/A | 118.17 | 4 |
10–12 June | World Cup Race 2 | K1 Men Individual Heat | unknown |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 96.16 | 18 |
7–11 August | Olympic Games | K1 Men Individual Heat | 135.89 | 86.95 | 86.95 | 2 |
K1 Men Individual Semi-final | N/A | 90.67 | 3 |
K1 Men Individual Final | N/A | 88.53 | 1 |
World Cup Final Standings | K1 Men Individual | N/A | 61 |