BEIJING // Michal Martikan of Slovakia has won the gold medal in the single canoe slalom. It is the first time that he finished on top spot of the Olympic podium since winning in Atlanta. Martikan won silver in Sydney and Athens, finishing second both times behind the Frenchman Tony Estanguet. Estanguet finished a surprising ninth in his first run on the whitewater course and did not qualify for the finals. David Florence of Great Britain won silver on Tuesday. Robin Bell of Australia took bronze. Martikan was only 17 when he won the gold medal in 1996 in Atlanta. He is the number one ranked canoeist by the International Canoe Federation and his combined time of 176.65 seconds was nearly 2 seconds better than Florence's time. *AP