Winner’s medal awarded for men’s canoeing at the Athens 2004 Summer Olympics. Silver, 60 mm, 139 gm, by Elena Votsi and Kostas Kazakos; manufactured by Efsimon. The front depicts the winged goddess of Victory soaring into the Panathinaikos Arena, with Greek characters and Olympic rings above; the reverse features the Eternal Flame of Olympia, the opening lines of Pindar's Eighth Olympic Ode, and the 2004 Summer Games logo, with the sport engraved in Greek lettering along the bottom, “Κανοε / Καγιακ Σπριντ—C2 Ανδρών 500μ [Canoe / Kayak Sprint—C2 Men 500m].” Completed by the original multicolored ribbon. The 2004 Athens winner’s medals replaced the long-held ‘seated Victory’ design by Giuseppe Cassioli, rectifying the mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue.
The final for the men's C-2 (two-man sprint) 500 metres competition in canoeing at the 2004 Summer Olympics occurred at the Olympic Canoe/Kayak Slalom Centre at the Helliniko Olympic Complex on August 28, 2004. The race was so close that officials could not determine the winners until most of the canoers were out of their boats and the canoes were placed on the dock. When the winners were finally determined, the two-man teams from China (gold), Cuba (silver), and Russia (bronze) were announced as the top three finishers.
