Paddle Australia’s 2019 Canoe Slalom National Development Squad returned to Australia last week, after a successful couple of weeks training and racing on New Zealand’s North Island.
The Squad arrived in Auckland on the 10th of April with paddlers from four different states and first trained on Auckland’s Wero Whitewater Stadium before travelling south to Kawerau, near Rotorua to contest the New Zealand Secondary School Championships and New Zealand Nationals.
The Squad also had the opportunity to visit some of the local rivers and sites whilst in Kawerau before returning to Auckland to train once more at Wero before flying home just before Easter.
Squad member and 2019 Canoe Slalom Junior Team paddler Sophie Wilson (NSW) was one of the stand-out athletes on the tour winning all her U16 age-group events in both the women’s K1 and C1 and enjoying the opportunity of testing new waters.
“We trained hard in New Zealand to get used to the water. It’s been a good experience to get used to new water and new courses while being with great competitors and great friends,” Sophie Wilson said about the tour.
Team mate Abby Collins agreed, “It was a great tour. We had a pretty short time frame and we made the most of the water time we were getting. And off-water, working as a team was important too. We did a lot of training and racing but also for example went creek boating down a water fall which was amazing. The whole tour was definitely an incentive to go home and start training even harder.”
Sebastian Montalto (VIC) who has been paddling since nine years, was also thankful for the opportunity to try new waters. “I was really happy to get on to new freshwater that’s completely different.”
With the squad back in Australia, focus for the national team paddlers now turns to preparation for the ICF Canoe Slalom Junior & U23 World Championships to be held in Krakow, Poland in July.
In preparation for the World Championships, the team will also do the ECA race in Augsburg, Germany at the end of June (29/30 June).
In addition to the national team paddlers, NDS members Keanu Crunkhorn, Sebastian Montalto and Ryan Huges will also travel to Europe for training and race experience at the ECA Cups in Augsburg, Solkan and Bratislava.
Ryan Hughes is also a member of the Australian Wildwater Junior team and will be competing at the Junior & U23 Wildwater World Championships in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina from 23 – 28 July.
See the 2019 Canoe Slalom Junior and U23 National Team paddlers HERE.
Canoe Slalom Development Squad in New Zealand:
Josh Montalto VIC
Abby Collins VIC
Claire Hodgman TAS
George Lazenby TAS
Declan Ellis NSW
Kate Moorhen VIC
Sophie Wilson VIC
Georgie O’Callaghan VIC
Ben Ross VIC
Jayden Hart WA
Ben Little VIC
George Pankhurst WA
Hugh Clements TAS
Hamish Dalziel TAS
Sebastian Montalto VIC
Keanu Crunkhorn VIC
Coaches:
Mike Druce
Emir Mujcinovic
Christian Fabris
Team Leader:
Jill Bassett
Rebecca Lazenby
RESULTS
2019 New Zealand Canoe Slalom Nationals
Teams
K1WU18
3rd Sophie Wilson, Abby Collins, Claire Hodgman
C1MU16
1st Ben Ross, Declan Ellis, George Pankhurst
3rd Sophie Wilson, Kate Moorhen, Georgie O’Callaghan
K1MU18
1st Josh Montalto, Seb Montalto, George Lazenby
K1M U16
1st Ben Little, Hamish Dalziel, Hugh Clements
2nd Keanu Crunkhorn, Jayden Hart, Ben Ross
Individual Classes
K1WU16
1st Sophie Wilson
2nd Georgie O’Callaghan
C1WU16
1st Sophie Wilson
2nd Georgie O’Callaghan
K1MU18
3rd Josh Montalto
K1MU16
1st Hamish Dalziel
2nd Seb Montalto
C1MU16
1st Ben Ross
Not NDS
C1MU23
2nd Lachlan Bassett
A Finals
C1M
2nd Lachlan Bassett (Not NDS)
10th Ben Ross
K1W
8th Sophie Wilson
C1W
4th Sophie Wilson
5th Georgie O’Callaghan
K1M
6th Hamish Dalziel
9th Sebastian Montalto
10th Josh Montalto
Results 2019 New Zealand Canoe Slalom Secondary School Championships
Senior C1M
Fastest time 87.81
George Lazenby 7/15114.31
Senior C1W
Fastest time 124.34
Claire Hodgman 3/9148.58
Inter K1M
Fastest time 79.99
Sebastian Montalto 2/3285.35
Hamish Dalziel 3/3288.03
Jayden Hart 5/3289.77
Hugh Clements 10/3297.46
George Pankhurst 11/3298.06
Ben Ross 12/3298.89
Declan Ellis 14/32103.12
Keanu Crunkhorn 21/32122.06
Ben Little DNS
Inter K1W
Sophie Wilson 1/16100.70
Georgie O’Callaghan 4/32111.80
Kate Moorhen 5/16122.16
Day 2
Senior K1W
Fastest time 98.11
Claire Hodgman 4/9105.52
Abby Collins 5/9118.99
Inter C1M
Ben Ross 1/2596.58
George Pankhurst 3/25101.08
Declan Ellis 4/25101.74
Hugh Clements 9/25111.24
Ben Little 10/25 113.44
Hamish Dalziel 17/25 157.25
Inter C1W
Sophie Wilson 1/11107.22
Georgie O’Callaghan 2/11117.78
Kate Moorhen 4/11123.00
Senior K1M
Josh Montalto 2/1784.31
George Lazenby 8/1794.39
Team results – New Zealand Secondary School Championships 2019
Inter K1M team
2nd Jayden Hart, Hugh Clements, Hamish Dalziel
3rd Keanu Crunkhorn, Ben Little, George Pankhurst
Senior C1W team
1st Sophie Wilson, Kate Moorhen, Georgie O’Callaghan
Senior K1W team
2nd Abby Collins, Sophie Wilson, Claire Hodgman
Senior K1M team
1st Josh Montalto, Seb Montalto, George Lazenby
Inter C1M team
1st Declan Ellis, Ben Ross, George Pankhurst
