Three Podiums at Canoe Sprint Junior Worlds

Australia has earned three medals at the 2024 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

On the penultimate day, New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) athletes Kailey Harlen and Natalia Drobot claimed the gold in the U23 K2 Women’s 500m before Drobot returned to the start line and delivered once again in the U23 K1 Women’s 200m, this time finishing second.

Members of the 21-strong team made up of Australia’s best up-and-coming young athletes, Drobot and Harlen were thrilled to claim World Championship gold.

“I think we’re in shock, there’s really no words,” said Drobot after the race.

“Kailey did an amazing job just setting up the race so well and all I had to do was follow, it just feels absolutely amazing,” she said.

“We definitely held ourselves well in the middle of the race, we could feel the nose of the Slovakian boat creeping forward but we’ve put a bit of practice into our back end and I think we’re both so happy that it all worked out,” added Harlen.

Having trained alongside the Australian athletes preparing to compete at the upcoming Olympic Games for the past several months, Drobot mentioned the pair were inspired by the efforts of their teammates.

“A massive shout out to our coach Rene Olsen for his hard work and also to the team getting ready for Paris 2024,” said Drobot.

“We are so proud of them and their hard work and I think they’d be proud of us after this too,” she said.

On her second place finish in the individual event, Drobot said she was thrilled to come away with a podium finish.

“I had so much adrenaline in me after winning gold with Kailey so I’m super stoked to have finished second amongst this field of really quick athletes,” she said.

“I found it pretty easy to switch into the K1 mindset – I allowed myself the 40 minutes in between races to really hone in on my mindset, my abilities and what I was going to bring to the race.”

On the final day of competition, Harlen finished third amongst a tough field in the Women’s U23 K1 500, earning herself her second World Championships medal in as many days.

The NSWIS athlete was thrilled to claim the individual medal after also winning gold the day before with K2 teammate, Natalia Drobot.

“I think I just zoned out from what was going on around me and trusted the process, I felt a strange sense of calm,” said Harlen after the race.

“I wasn’t focused on the outcome, I just went out there and focused on delivering the best race I could.

“I couldn’t have been more stoked when I crossed the line,” she said.

It’s been a big week for the Australian paddler, with the event offering five full days of competition.

“This week has been better than I could have imagined,” said Harlen.

“This is my last under-23 competition so to finish it off like this is just insane. 

“I couldn’t have done it without all the support so thank you to everyone both here and at home.”

A team of 21 of Australia’s best young athletes took part in the 2024 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships over the last five days. 

Article and image courtesy of Paddle Australia