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JWR VerifiedJWR-2026-000168

First Jewish Olympic Medalist in Canoe Slalom

Record holder

Joe JacobiPerson

Record value

Gold — Men's C2 Slalom, Barcelona 1992

Country represented: United StatesAchievement location: La Seu d'Urgell, SpainAchievement date: 2 August 1992Current record

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Joe Jacobi in 1992.

Joe Jacobi in the year of his Barcelona Olympic gold medal.Xavier Dengra / Wikimedia CommonsSourceCC0 1.0

Official record definition

The earliest Jewish athlete to win an Olympic medal in the canoe slalom discipline, across all Olympic canoe-slalom events.

Measurement methodology

Complete chronological comparison of Olympic canoe-slalom medalists in 1972 and 1992, cross-checked against Jewish Olympic medalist records.

Record story

Joe Jacobi became the first Jewish Olympic medalist in canoe slalom at the Barcelona 1992 Games. Competing with his partner, Scott Strausbaugh, he won the gold medal in the men's C2 slalom event on 2 August 1992. The competition took place in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain. The specific achievement is recorded as 'Gold — Men's C2 Slalom, Barcelona 1992'. This accomplishment is documented by Olympedia and recognised by the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame, which honours Jewish athletes worldwide.

The record's 'first' status was established through a chronological review of Olympic results. The canoe slalom discipline debuted at the Munich 1972 Games before returning to the programme in 1992. No Jewish athlete is recorded as having won a medal during the discipline's inaugural appearance in 1972. Consequently, Jacobi’s gold medal at Barcelona 1992 establishes him as the earliest Jewish Olympic medalist in the history of the sport.

Media

How JWR verified this record

Verification date
26 September 2026
Verification standard
JWR Verification Standard 1.0

Achievement evidence

Olympedia records Joe Jacobi and Scott Strausbaugh as the gold medalists in men's C2 canoe slalom at Barcelona 1992 on 2 August 1992.

Superiority evidence

Canoe slalom debuted at the Olympics in 1972 and returned in 1992. The IJSHOF chronology contains no Jewish canoe-slalom medalist in 1972 and lists Joseph Jacobi's 1992 gold, making him the earliest verified Jewish Olympic medalist in the discipline.

Jewish Eligibility — Verified by JWR

Jewish eligibility verification

Evidence establishing that the holder qualifies as Jewish for JWR purposes.

  • Joe Jacobi — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Hall of Famers — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Achievement / record verification

Evidence establishing that the holder achieved the result and holds the record as defined.

  • Canoe Doubles (C2), Slalom, Men — Barcelona 1992 — Olympedia

Superiority / counter-candidate verification

Evidence comparing the result with other candidates relevant to the record claim.

  • Canoe Slalom at the 1972 Summer Olympics — Olympedia
  • Jewish Olympic Medalists — International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame

Jewish eligibility, achievement and superiority evidence retain their separate classifications and are never merged. Context and provenance are not presented as proof of the achievement. Restricted evidence and internal research notes are never published. Learn more about the seven-stage process on the verification page.

Sources & Verification

History

  1. Verified

    Verified according to JWR Verification Standard 1.0.

  2. Publishedv1

    Published to the official JWR registry.

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