Penrith will be well represented on the European whitewater over the coming months, with several local athletes selected in the Paddle Australia Canoe Slalom Senior National Team.
Earlier this week, Paddle Australia confirmed the athletes who will represent Australia in Canoe Slalom on the upcoming ICF World Cup circuit and ICF World Championships.
Following selection at the 2022 ICF Oceania Canoe Slalom Championships and 2022 Paddle Australia Canoe Slalom Australian Open earlier this year, and selection of the Junior and U23 teams last week, Paddle Australia unveiled on Monday their senior team to represent Australia in Europe from June to September.
Olympic Gold medallist Jessica Fox and dual Olympian Lucien Delfour – both Penrith locals – headline the Aussie team which boasts a mix of youth and experience across both the kayak and canoe boats.
Paddle Australia National Performance Director, Kim Crane, said with the international season fast approaching, she is pleased to present the National teams for 2022.
“Our canoe Slalom athletes, coaches and staff have been thrown plenty of challenges in the past two years, including limited access to international competition, and flooding of our training venue in Penrith,” she said.
“So I’m excited to confirm the athletes who have competed on the world stage before, where for some this will be their first international tour as part of the senior team.
“After seeing them race on home soil earlier this year, I’m excited to see what they can do across the World Cup season and World Championships.”
Along with the very accomplished Fox and Delfour, several other paddlers with ties to both Penrith and the Penrith Valley Canoe Club will also be boarding a plane bound for Europe.
They include: 25-year-old Noemie Fox, who will compete in both kayak and canoe; 27-year-old Tim Anderson, who will compete in kayak; 25-year-old Angus Thompson, who will compete in kayak; and 22-year-old Lachlan Bassett, who is a reserve in canoe.
The 2022 ICF World Cup season will kick off in Prague, Czech Republic, on June 10 before shifting to Poland, Slovenia, France and Spain, while the ICF Senior World Championships will be held in Ausburg, Germany, from July 26-31.
Nathan Taylor
Nathan Taylor is the Weekender's Deputy Editor and Senior Sports Writer. He also compiles the weekly Chatter on the Box TV column. Nathan is an award-winning journalist, who has worked at the Weekender for a decade.