1938 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1938 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Vaxholm, Sweden, outside Stockholm, between 6–7 August 1938. This event was held under the auspices of the Internationale Repräsentantenschaft Kanusport (IRK), founded in 1924 and the forerunner of the International Canoe Federation.

The men's competition consisted of three Canadian (single paddle, open boat) and seven kayak events. Two events were held for the women, both in kayak.

This was the first championships in canoe sprint and the only one held prior to World War II which would break out the following year. It is also the only time the K-1 10000 m folding and K-2 10000 m folding events would take place in the world championships.

Medal summary

Men's

Canoe

Event	Gold	Time	Silver	Time	Bronze	Time
C-1 1000 m	Otto Neumüller (GER)	6:45.8	Hans Wiedmann (GER)	6:51.4	Bohumil Sládek (TCH)	7:11.7
C-2 1000 m	Germany Rupert Weinstabl Karl Proisl	5:47.3	Czechoslovakia Bohuslav Karlík Jan Brzák-Felix		Czechoslovakia Václáv Mottl Zdeněk Škrland
C-2 10000 m	Czechoslovakia Bohuslav Karlík Jan Brzák-Felix		Germany Rupert Weinstabl Karl Proisl		Germany Christian Holzenberg Heinz Jürgens

Kayak

Event	Gold	Time	Silver	Time	Bronze	Time
K-1 1000 m	Karl Widmark (SWE)		Helmut Cämmerer (GER)		Gregor Hradetzky (GER)
K-1 10000 m	Karl Widmark (SWE)		Czesław Sobieraj (POL)		Egon Nilsson (SWE)
K-1 10000 m folding	Arne Bogren (SWE)		Kamill Balatoni (HUN)		Günter Nowatzki (GER)
K-2 1000 m	Germany Helmut Triebe Hans Eberle		Sweden Kurt Boo Hans Berglund		Denmark Poul Larsen Vagin Jørgensen
K-2 10000 m	Sweden Gunnar Johansson Berndt Berndtsson		Germany Helmut Triebe Hans Eberle		Germany Adolf Kainz Karl Maurer
K-2 10000 m folding	Sweden Carl-Justav Hellstrandt Erik Helsvik		Sweden Sven Johansson Erik Bladström		Germany Kurt Kreh Johann Fuchs
K-4 1000 m	Germany Ernst Kube Heini Brüggemann Ernst Strathmann Heine Strathmann		Germany Hans Rein Josef Reidel Albert Schorn Karl Aulenbach		Sweden Roland Karlsson Göte Carlsson Gunnar Johansson Berndt Berndtsson

Women's

Kayak

Event	Gold	Time	Silver	Time	Bronze	Time
K-1 600 m	Maggie Kalka (FIN)		Maj-Britt Bergqvist (SWE)		Bodil Thirstedt (DEN)
K-2 600 m	Czechoslovakia Marta Pavlisová Marta Zvolanková		Germany Josefa Lehmenkühler Elisabeth Kropp		Denmark Ruth Lange Bodil Thirstedt

Medals table

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Germany	4	6	5	15
2	Sweden	5	3	2	10
3	Czechoslovakia	2	1	2	5
4	Denmark	0	0	3	3
5	Finland	1	0	0	1
6	Hungary	0	1	0	1
7	Poland	0	1	0	1
Total		12	12	12	36

References

• International Canoe Federation
• ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships - Part 1: flatwater (now sprint): 1936-2007.
• ICF medalists for Olympic and World Championships - Part 2: rest of flatwater (now sprint) and remaining canoeing disciplines: 1936-2007.