2015 ICF World Championships Slalom
 
1
2
3
K1M
CZ J. PRSKAVEC
PL M. POLACZYK
US M. SMOLEN
K1W
CZ K. KUDEJOVA
DE R. FUNK
DE M. PFEIFER
C1M
GB D. FLORENCE
SI B. SAVSEK
GB R. WESTLEY
C1W
AU J. FOX
CZ K. HOSKOVA
ES N. VILARRUBLA
C2
DE ANTON/BENZIEN
FR PICCO/BISO
FR KLAUSS/PECHE

Canoe Sprint

Teneale Hatton Takes One Giant Leap Toward Olympic Dream

teneale hatton new zealand canoe kayak sprint athlete interview sportscene icf one giant leap rio 2016 olympic games dream

World Champion and Olympic kayaker Teneale Hatton is gearing up for another record breaking year on the water, with one of the busiest event calendars of any athlete in the sport and the backing of One Giant Leap, the New Zealand based developers of a power meter for kayakers.

“This year is going to be a big one,” said Hatton. “I will be focusing on the Kayaking World Cup series in May and then the World Champs in August, which is the only opportunity to qualify outright for the Olympics. There will definitely be a fair bit of pressure on that one.”

Hatton, who holds World Champion titles in Canoe Sprint, Canoe Marathon and Surf-Ski racing, is part of the newly formed New Zealand K4 Women’s squad, who are aiming to qualify for the Rio 2016 Olympic 500m event.

“Last year was our first year together as a K4,” said Hatton. “Everyone learnt a lot which will make this year more fluid, we now have more direction about which areas we can improve on. We’ve also changed a few things up with the training programme so hopefully that will work out.”

Hatton will also be focusing on her individual performance this year by competing in several other racing events throughout the season.

“The better I can be individually, then the better the teamboat can be,” said Hatton. To help her with her training she has joined forces with One Giant Leap.

“At the moment I’m going back into base training, and this is where a power meter is going to come in handy,” she said. “With the feedback I get I can focus on getting fitter and stronger on the water. It will help dramatically.”

teneale hatton new zealand canoe kayak sprint athlete interview sportscene icf one giant leap rio 2016 olympic games dreamHatton will also be using the power meter to make her paddling technique more efficient.

“It will allow me to see where exactly on my stroke I need to improve, it’s awesome to see where you’re putting your power in. It will make a big difference and give me more direction about what I should be working on.”

Hatton will be next racing at the King of the Harbour Ocean Ski event in New Zealand on the 7th March, and her event calendar for the year includes the Nelo Summer Challenge in Portugal and the Canoe Marathon World Champs in Hungary.

“I’ve always believed any racing is good racing,” she said. “I’ve always trained for the 500m, but I’ve been able to race the longer events more often. I believe the fitter and stronger you are, the better you’re going to be in the 500m and 1000m… I take any racing opportunity I can get.”

And as for her hopes in repeating last year’s success at the World Champs, where she claimed a record-breaking World Champion title in the K1-1000m Canoe Sprint event?

“I would absolutely love to do that again,” she said.

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