Lutz Liwowski

Lutz Liwowski (born July 30, 1967 in Düsseldorf ) is a former German canoeist . The canoe racers of KG Food was 1998 and 1999 world champion in the one-kayaking m above the 1000th

Liwowski first began with white water racing , but then switched to canoe racing. He achieved his first international success at the canoe racing world championship in 1995 in Duisburg , when he won the bronze medal in the K1 over 1000 meters. In 1996 he took part in the Olympic Games in Atlanta , where he finished 4th over 1000 and 5th over 500 meters. In 1998 he became world champion over 1000 meters for the first time and clearly defended the title in 1999. He traveled to the 2000 Olympic Games as a favorite, but was disqualified in the run-up due to a false start. Over 500 meters he finished 5th. In 2002 he ended his career.

A kayak developed by Liwowski himself caused a sensation . It had an unusually narrow hull and had two short, upright fins on each side in the middle of the boat in order to comply with the minimum width stipulated in the competition rules. This development found numerous imitators, which is why in 2001 the minimum width of racing boats was completely abolished by the ICF. In the same year, the false start rule introduced in 2000 was also deleted, according to which every early starter is disqualified.

In parallel to his competitive sports career, Liwowski completed a degree in mechanical engineering and now works as an engineer . He is the father of 3 daughters.

Web links

• Lutz Liwowski in the Sports-Reference database (English; archived from the original )