Nicolas Gestin

Nicolas Gestin (born 30 March 2000) is a French slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2016. He is from Tréméven, Finistère in Brittany.

Career Junior Gestin began paddling with his local club, Canoë Kayak Club Quimperlé. Nicolas received €1,000 from the Quimperlé community to help finance international travel. He dislocated his shoulder in August 2016, resulting in him missing the 2016 Junior Europeans and selection for the 2017 team. Gestin's breakthrough season was his last as a junior, where he earned four medals and made two World Cup finals. At the 2018 Junior Europeans he won a silver medal in both C1 and C1 team, followed by a gold in C1 team and a bronze individually at the 2018 Junior Worlds in Ivrea. By winning the 2021 championship, Gestin became only the second athlete to win the title twice (after Roberto Colazingari ) and the first to win it at consecutive events. Nicolas also won a gold medal in C1 at the 2019 U23 Europeans, an event which he did not compete in the following two years (in 2021 in order to prepare for the World Championships).

Senior Nicolas' first races at the senior level were the last two World Cups of the 2018 season where he made both finals finishing 8th and 10th in Tacen and La Seu, respectively. He won a silver medal at the 2020 World Cup in Tacen. Gestin was coached by 1993 and 1995 vice world champion Anne Boixel until 2021 and now by French national team coach Arnaud Brogniart. He participated in the French selection trials for the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing 6th. Gestin finished 5th at the 2021 European Championships in Ivrea.

Gestin won the gold medal in the men's C1 at the 2024 Summer Olympics.

He won six medals at the World Championships with four golds (C1: 2025, C1 team: 2021, 2023, 2025) and two silvers (C1: 2023, C1 team: 2026). He finished 4th in the C1 event in at the 2021 World Championships.

He won a silver medal in the C1 event at the 2025 European Championships in Vaires-sur-Marne.

Gestin won the overall World Cup title in the C1 class in 2022 and 2025.

Results World Cup individual podiums Total C1 6 2 3 11

SeasonDateVenuePositionEvent 2020 18 October 2020 Tacen 2nd C1 2022 12 June 2022 Prague 2nd C1 19 June 2022 Kraków 1st C1 4 September 2022 La Seu d'Urgell 1st C1 2024 1 June 2024 Augsburg 3rd C1 8 June 2024 Prague 3rd C1 2025 7 June 2025 La Seu d'Urgell 3rd C1 28 June 2025 Prague 1st C1 30 August 2025 Tacen 1st C1 6 September 2025 Augsburg 1st C1 2026 6 June 2026 Prague 1st C1

Complete World Cup results