Olympic Qualification Journey
In January 2023, I stepped into a Canoe Slalom kayak for the very first time. Fast forward 13 months, and on February 14, 2024, I received a quota allocation letter for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. (Oh, International Canoe Federation, what a romantic Valentine’s Day gift)….
Hold up. Rewind. How on earth did I pull that off?
Ha! I’m glad you asked. This story is as twisty and turny as a slalom course. I’m not some superhuman athlete, but I do have a knack for diving headfirst into challenges and seeing windows of opportunity. See this as a testament to the power of persistence and happy accidents.
For some background, when I started university, I joined the Sydney University Canoe Club and began paddling recreationally in big, sturdy plastic boats on rivers.
Window of opportunity & the gene that helped
I should also note that I suffer from the “how hard can it be” gene. So, when I watched Jess Fox take the Gold at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, I noticed there were no South Africans competing. (I was born in South Africa and lived there until I was 16). Naturally, given my “how hard can it be” gene, I thought, “Why not throw my hat in the ring?”
Honestly, I was probably 50% joking and 50% serious.
Eventually, when I was looking for my next challenge, I figured, why not go for this Olympics thing? What’s the worst that could happen?
How to get to the other side of the forest
I didn’t know the next steps, had never been in a slalom kayak, and also had no idea how the qualification process even worked, but you know how they say to get to the other side of the forest, you don’t need to see all the way through… You just need to see your next step. So that’s what I did.
Alright. That’s all I have brain space and time for to report today. I’ll write part 2 tomorrow. (Does this officially make me a blogger now). I’ll share the full story to date along with all my learnings, lessons, and experiences over the next few days. Plus, maybe a hint of what’s next. It’s been quite the journey so far…. and there is more to come.
