SPLASH BANG WALLOP

GB stars Clarke and Woods take medals in 'Mario Karts with boats'

- NEIL McLEMAN

JOE CLARKE and Kimberley Woods claimed two of the first Olympic medals in kayak cross and said the new event was "absolutely brilliant" and the atmosphere "insane."

The fast and furious Olympic debutant combines the speed of whitewater sport with the thrills and spills of BMW racing or ski cross.

Four competitors are launched simultaneously from a five-metre high ramp at the top of the 210m course and have to go through gates and perform a kayak roll while racing against each other to the line.

Contact is allowed and chaos and carnage is guaranteed.

It is a TV and social-media hit dubbed "Mario Kart with boats" and the 10,500 noisy fans at the Stade Nautique outside Paris were mad for this crazy sport yesterday.