K-1, men, 500 m

What to remember

Szeged, Hungary, August 23, 2019: in the World Championships final, Germany's Tom Liebscher won the K-1 500 m in 1 min 35.04 s, the world best time for the distance. He had already taken this world title in 2013.

Born in Dresden, Liebscher has raced both alone and in crews. He was world champion in the K-1 1000 m in 2017, and an Olympic champion in the K-4: over 1000 m in Rio in 2016 with Max Rendschmidt, Max Hoff and Marcus Gross, then over 500 m at the 2020 Games and in Paris in 2024.

The International Canoe Federation only recognises world best times set in finals of major events such as the Olympic Games, World Championships, World Cups or continental championships. A world final like Szeged's meets that condition.