In the early days of kayak cross, or extreme slalom as it was then known, there were a handful of noisy malcontents who could see nothing positive about this new discipline, and predicted it would not only never catch on, but would also likely lead to the demise of canoe slalom as we know it.

Those same recalcitrants refused to listen to the justification behind the introduction of this brash new sport. Every attempt to explain was met with more vitriol and disbelief.

But now those same critics are standing at the bottom of a mountain, as an avalanche of social media, global media and 10,000 screaming fans rains down on top of them.

By any measure the introduction of kayak sport at the Olympic Games has been an outstanding success. Described by media outlets like The Times, CNN and the Sydney Morning Herald as the most exciting new sport at the Games, the bold gamble looks to have paid off.

And the man who did most of the heavy lifting, ICF Canoe Slalom Chair Jean Michel Prono, can now leave the position content in what he and the slalom community has achieved. In our latest “Inside Paris” podcast, he talks about the difficult battles getting kayak cross recognised.

You can listen to the podcast, plus catch up on previous editions, here.