Athletes from across the country lined up at Sydney International Regatta Centre for the first day of racing at the 2024 Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint Championships.
More than 200 athletes took part in 71 races on the first day of the competition, which will run through until Sunday 10 March.
For the next generation of paddle stars, the opportunity to race on the same course as their heroes was not taken for granted.
Hunter Sports Academy twins Ella and Ashleigh Pegrum couldn’t have been happier with their first race at a National Championships, winning gold in the U14 Women’s K2 500.
“It’s only our second competition ever, so we’re still just learning how everything works but it’s really fun,” Ashleigh said.
“We started kayaking through ski paddling in surf lifesaving, we got into this to help with our ski paddling. Then we got into the Hunter Academy, and started racing,” Ella said.
“It’s really cool to be here, and even when you’re not racing you get to watch Olympians race. It’s really fun and inspirational, and shows where the sport can take you,” Ashleigh added.
Avoca Kayak Club’s Kai Sinclair had a great morning, winning gold in the U12 Men’s K1 500.
“I’ve been paddling for three and a half years now, and this is my second time at Nationals,” Sinclair said.
“I won the K1 500 this morning, so I’m pretty happy,” he said.
Australia’s Olympians, Paralympians and Paris hopefuls also had the chance to race, providing plenty of action and close finishes for spectators.
In the men’s K1 500 final, Olympic gold medalist Jean van der Westhuyzen crossed the line in first, ahead of paddling partner Tom Green in second and dual Olympian Riley Fitzsimmons in third.
With selection out of the way at Grand Prix 2 only a few weeks ago, van der Westhuyzen said the best part of the National Championships is getting to see the next generation in action.
“I was looking at one of the kids earlier, and he reminded me of myself when I started, and why I really enjoyed it and the guys I used to look up to,” van der Westhuyzen said.
“It’s great to see the young guys around, and you hope to set a good example and you want to see them do better than you one day, that’s the ultimate goal,” he said.
“It’s been going smoothly so far – it’s the first day and we’ve only done two races so we’ve got a lot to look forward to coming up in the next few days,” Green added.
For full results from day one – click here
The 2024 Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint Championships will return to Sydney International Regatta Centre tomorrow. For the full schedule – click here
