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. He became Olympic Champion on home soil at the 2024 Summer Olympics in the C1 event.
Career Junior Gestin began paddling with his local club, Canoë Kayak Club Quimperlé. He made his first junior team in 2016, finishing 5th individually at the Junior Worlds in Kraków, also earning a bronze in the C1 team event. 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.
U23 Gestin has won three medals at the U23 World Championships with two golds in C1 (2019, 2021) and a bronze in the C1 team event (2021). 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 one gold and one silver medal at the European Championships.
Gestin won the overall World Cup title in the C1 class in 2022 and 2025.
Results World Cup individual podiums Total C1 6 2 4 12
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 12 September 2026 La Seu d'Urgell 3rd C1
Complete World Cup results Year WC1 WC2 WC3 WC4 WC5 Points Position 2018 Liptovský Mikuláš Kraków Augsburg Tacen 8La Seu 10 106 21st 2019 Lee Valley Bratislava Tacen 8Markkleeberg15 Prague 66 30th 2020Tacen 2 Pau 2021Prague 19Markkleeberg39La Seu 9Pau 8 138 12th 2022Prague 2Kraków 1Tacen 15Pau 4La Seu 1 3091st 2023Augsburg 4Prague 26 Tacen La Seu 7Pau 6 183 8th 2024Augsburg 3Prague 3 Kraków Ivrea La Seu 11 164 13th 2025La Seu 3Pau 35Prague 1Tacen 1Augsburg 1 2921st Notes No overall rankings were determined by the ICF, with only two races possible due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Complete Championship results Year Level Venue Event Result2016Junior World KrakówC1 team3rd C15th2018Junior European Bratislava C1 team 2nd C12ndJunior World IvreaC1 team1st C13rd2019U23 European Liptovský Mikuláš C1 team 9th C11stU23 World KrakówC1 team4th C11st2021U23 World TacenC1 team3rd C11stEuropean IvreaC1 team10th C15thWorld BratislavaC1 team1st C14th
Awards and honours Orders Knight of the Legion of Honour: 2024
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