*Fischer looking to reel in two more kayaking golds*
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By Kevin Stevens 
SportsTicker Contributing Editor 

SYDNEY, Australia (Ticker) - Five will be an important number in
Sydney. 

In rowing, Britain's Steve Redgrave will be chasing a record
fifth gold medal in as many Olympics while American Marion Jones
will attempt a single-Games record by hauling in five golds in
track and field. 

Overlooked in all the high-five hoopla has been canoeing queen
Birgit Fischer, who also will be competing in her fifth
Olympics.  She already has five gold medals and is coming to
Sydney looking to add two more to her total before retiring as
the greatest German Olympian ever. 

"In Sydney I want to become the most successful German Olympic
winner of all-time," she said. 

A legend in the flatwater canoeing-kayaking fraternity, Fischer
has a number of amazing accomplishments.  But her three other
Olympic medals and 27 world championship titles have gone mostly
unnoticed -- even in her own country. 

A product of the former East German sports system, Fischer burst
onto the canoeing scene as an 18-year-old at the 1980 Moscow
Games, becoming the youngest kayaking champion in Olympic
history with her victory in the 500-meter singles. 

In the two decades since, she has remained the sport's standard.

Four years ago in Atlanta, Fischer took gold in the fours and a
silver in the pairs and will challenge in the same two events in
Sydney. 

A victory in either will lift the 38-year-old mother into a tie
with swimmer Kristin Otto and equestrian Reiner Klimke for the
most German Olympic gold medals. 

A gold medal sweep will earn Fischer her own place in German
Olympic history, a place she would most likely already hold had
East Germany not taken part in a boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles
Games. 

But Germany will be expecting to mine much more gold than what
Fischer can provide from the regatta center. 

Having returned home from Atlanta with five golds, a pair of
silvers and a bronze, Germany once again will look to their male
paddlers (four golds, silver and a bronze in 1996) to make a
considerable contribution to the country's medal count. 

The Germans, along with eastern European countries such as
Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Romania, where the
sport enjoys particular popularity, are expected to dominate the
flatwater competition. 

The Czech Republic's Martin Doktor, a double gold medal winner
in Atlanta, crossing first in both the 500- and 1,000-meter
canoe singles, is back to defend his titles, as is 500-meter
silver medalist Slavomir Knazovicky of Slovakia. 

Canada's Steve Gilles, a multiple world championship medalist,
represents North America's best hope for a podium finish in the
canoe events as he looks to improve on a disappointing eighth
place at the 1996 Games. 

Women do not race in the canoe events. 

Norwegian kayaker Knut Holmann has been a permanent fixture on
the Olympic podium, winning a pair of medals at each of the last
two Games.  But only once has he climbed onto the top step. 

The powerful Norwegian has dominated the 1,000-meter event,
adding Olympic gold in Atlanta to three world championship
titles. 

The big challenge for Holmann in Sydney will be to see if he can
finally translate his power into speed and take gold in the
sprint after claiming silver in 1996 and bronze in 1992. 

Caroline Brunet will carry the Canadian flag in the opening
ceremonies, and team officials expect the kayak world champion
to lead the way to the medal podium as well. 

A silver medalist over 500 meters in Atlanta, Brunet is being
touted as her country's top gold medal prospect in Sydney. 

But Canada's athlete of the year expects a tough fight from the
woman who beat her in Atlanta, Hungarian Rita Koban, who looked
well prepared to defend her Olympic title after cruising to an
impressive victory at European championships in July. 

Slalom canoeing was nearly left high and dry when Sydney
organizers considered dropping the event from the calendar
because of the huge costs involved in constructing a whitewater
course. 

But after some intense lobbying, whitewater will remain part of
the Games for at least one more Olympics, bolstering Britian's
medal prospects with Paul Ratcliffe favored to take gold in the
kayak singles. 

Ratcliffe has dominated his event this season, winning World
Cups in the Czech Republic, France, Germany and a pre-Olympic
event on the seething Penrith course. 

European champion Pierpaolo Ferrazzi also is expected to figure
in the medal picture while Scott Shipley, competing in his third
Olympics, will represent the top American hope for a podium
finish. 

In the men's canoe singles, Slovakia's Michal Martikan, who
shook up the whitewater world by winning gold in Atlanta at just
17, is back to defend his title. 

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