By Tom Harle

Canoeist Joe Clarke hasn’t completed the Olympics just yet and revealed he is doubling down a push to LA 2028.

After winning gold in Rio and missing out on Tokyo, Clarke’s return to the Games stage in Paris was a mixed bag as he won kayak cross silver and finished fifth in the slalom.

As he watched Tom Cruise abseil into Stade de France at the Closing Ceremony, beginning the long countdown to 2028, the 31-year-old was in little doubt that he will be back in four years’ time.

“I’m certainly revved up and ready to go after seeing the spectacle that LA put on for us,” said Clarke. “It makes me excited.

“I’ve had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and after Tokyo, I questioned whether I would carry on. I chose to, became a world champion and won an Olympic silver medal.

“The kayak cross event really suits me, so let’s carry on to LA and see if I can get a trio of Olympic medals.”

The Stoke native, who will be 35 come the next Olympics, plans to continue to double up in slalom and cross events.

The gold and silver medallists in women’s kayak cross both went to the Games in that discipline only, raising the possibility of increased specialisation.

“There is clearly an option there but I love both and two medal chances is always better than one,” said Clarke. “If I’d have just been there in the slalom, I’d have been very disappointed.

“You probably will see more cross-specific athletes in the future but I’ll be looking to diversify and do both.”

Clarke was clearly crushed to miss the podium in a bid to regain his K1 title - coming up only 1.6 seconds short of gold, but still more than a second shy of a top-three spot.

Buoyed by the joy of seeing 18-month-old son Hugo and family, he got back in the boat and the very next day qualified first in the time trial of the cross event, going on to snag silver.

“Finishing fifth is not where you want to finish and I was painfully close,” said Clarke. “I knew there was plenty more in the tank for the cross and there was no time for being down or disappointed.

“I just had to pick myself up and go again and that’s something I’m fully capable of doing. I showed my class to win that time trial.”

Kayak cross, described as ‘Mario Kart with boats’, was a big success on its Olympic debut and promises to give the sport of canoeing a shot in the arm when it comes to virality and engagement.

“From my initial feeling from messages you get and the buzz you feel, it’s been a huge hit,” said Clarke, who is a triple world champion in the event.

“Anything head-to-head is always exciting in my opinion and the way it panned out at the Games was a huge spectacle for the sport. The medals are hopefully only going to get more people involved in the sport, more bums in boats and more people inspired to take part in it.”

Clarke’s silver medal was one of four won by GB paddlers at Vaires-sur-Marne, marking Britain’s most successful ever Games in the sport and ensuring that a medal has been won in canoe slalom at each of the last seven Olympics.

Clarke, C1 silver medallist Adam Burgess, double bronze medallist Kimberley Woods and Mallory Franklin are all now two-time Olympians and there will be plenty of competition for places to make it three.

“There’s always that next generation coming through and the sport is in a really good place,” said Clarke, speaking at a ChangeMaker event, which is a partnership between The National Lottery’s operator, Allwyn, Team GB, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport to support athletes who want to help social impact projects they are passionate about. Across the next few weeks over 100 athletes from Team GB, ParalympicsGB and from The National Lottery funded world class performance programme are going out into their communities to get involved with good cause projects.

“Success breeds success and I’m excited to see where we go as a squad in the next four years.

“That’s what puts sports on the map and keeping coming back and winning medals at every single Games and I think we can continue on in the same vein.

“We are a force to be reckoned with and that is a testament to the National Lottery funding, we have won a medal at every Olympics since the funding was introduced.

“We are full-time athletes, meaning we can give our best every day and that allows us to compete at t the highest level.”

The ChangeMaker initiative is a partnership between The National Lottery’s operator, Allwyn, Team GB, ParalympicsGB and UK Sport to support Great Britain’s athletes to make a positive difference to social impact projects they are passionate about.