In his first Olympic appearance, 24-year-old Frenchman Nicolas Gestin is a gold medalist.
Gestin flew down his home course at Vaires-sur-Marne in a blistering 91.36 seconds. The Olympic rookie has captured France's fourth gold medal in the men's C-1, which ranks as most all-time.
Gestin's sensational run, cheered on by hoards of French fans, rounded out the day's action with a bang. He cruised down the winding course to win gold emphatically, finishing 5.48 seconds ahead of Great Britain's Adam Burgess, who took silver. Slovakian Matej Benus secured bronze with a run of 97.03.
Gestin is now an Olympic champion after skyrocketing to No. 3 in the world during a sensational 2024. He finished third at two World Cups this year and now tops the podium on home soil.
Burgess, meanwhile, has redeemed himself and graces an Olympic podium for the first time. The 32-year-old Brit finished fourth in Tokyo, missing a medal by just 0.16 seconds. Burgess appeared to slip up halfway through Monday's run, but he rallied to cross the line, jaw dropped, in medal position.
Slovakia's Benus has earned his second Olympic medal in the C-1 after taking silver in Rio. The medal marks Slovakia's eighth in the event, which is the most in history.