AUSSIES ARRIVE IN KRAKOW AHEAD OF JUNIOR AND U23 CANOE SLALOM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

17 Australian paddlers have arrived in Poland ahead of the 2023 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships this week.

The future stars of canoe slalom will be on show in Krakow from 15-20 August.

The Australian team will be spearheaded by Mark Crosbee, Georgie O’Callaghan and Sebastian Montalto who all made their Senior World Cup debuts earlier this season.

Crosbee will be looking to continue his form from last year’s World Championships, where he won Junior C1 gold.

“I’m really hoping to make the C1 final at this year’s World Championships,” Crosbee said.

“The first goal will be to make the semi finals, and then put down the best run that I can there,” he said.

Crosbee is also looking forward to sharing the World Championships experience with his younger sister Sarah Crosbee, who is part of the Australian Junior team.

“Sometimes she gets a bit annoyed at me, but it’s good to share the experience together and I’m looking forward to it,” he said.

O’Callaghan is hoping to gain more international racing experience at the Junior and U23 World Championships, having never raced overseas before her World Cup experience earlier this year.

“It will be my first U23 World Championships, and it’s in Krakow which is exciting,” O’Callaghan said.

“The World Championships is the end of three months in Europe, where I got to race a lot of ECA Cups and international events which was great.

“I’m immensely proud to be able to represent Australia, I feel a bit patriotic doing so and I want to do the best I can,” she said.

For Montalto, this year’s Junior and U23 World Championships is all about building on the lessons learnt at last year’s event, and at the World Cup earlier this year.

“Getting to race at the Senior World Cup before Junior and U23 World Championships was great, a good confidence boost to know I was able to race against the best guys in the world,” Montalto said.

“Last year [at Junior and U23 World Championships] I was disappointed with some penalties I got, so this year my focus is mainly on keeping a clean run and a run that I’m proud of,” he said.

2023 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championship will be streamed live via Planet Canoe’s Recast Channel. WATCH HERE

Follow the live results HERE

U23 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM

JUNIOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM