Canoeing at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's C-1 500 metres

The C-1 event is raced in single-man sprint canoes.

This would be the last time the event would take place at the Summer Olympics.

[1] Competition consists of three rounds: the heats, the semifinals, and the final.

The top three finishers in each of the two semifinals join the heats winners in the final.

All times are China Standard Time (UTC+8) Qualification Rules: 1->Final, 2..7->Semifinals, Rest Out Qualification Rules: 1..3->Final, Rest Out Opalev's gold earned him a complete set of medals in this event, having won a silver in 2000 and a bronze in 2004.