Australian canoe sprint team standouts, medals at world champs ahead of Paris Olympics

Paddler Aly Bull has emerged from a bleak 12 months of injury and mourning to claim a special world title and a crucial Olympic qualifying spot for an Aussie crew at the Paris Olympics. Wrap

Australian kayaker and multiple Olympian Aly Bull.

She’s a Paris Olympic hopeful who’s been through tough times and tough days in the past year. But now she has something to celebrate.

Just a day after helping the Australian K4 women’s crew qualify the boat for the 2024 Games, Bull won a special world title in the K1 1000m at the 2023 ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Duisburg.

While not an Olympic event the victory is significant and a major confidence boost for Australia and Bull ahead of the Games.

It’s was also a moment to celebrate after tough times for two-time Olympian Bull, a well known surf life saver, ironwoman and full-time firefighter who lost mate and colleague Isabella “Izzy” Nash in a factory blaze in Brisbane earlier this year.

“The last 12 months have been the hardest in my 27 years,” she told The Daily Telegraph from Germany and successful defending her K1 1000m gold.

Australian kayaker and multiple Olympian Aly Bull.

“It’s been hard to be away from my family, I lost a friend and injuries have made it tough.

“You look through the dark patches and hope there’s light.”

Bull said making the K4 team is her goal ahead of the Paris Olympics which run from July 26 to August 11.

“We qualified the K4 and we are proud of the job we had to do,’’ Bill said.

“It’s no easy feat to be part of a team but so rewarding.’’

Australian paddlers are having a memorable world championships with numerous medals won and boats qualified for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics.

On the weekend Tokyo Olympic gold medals Tom Green and dual Olympian Alyce Wood, who is on the comeback after time out to start a family, helped Australia qualify more sports in Paris.

Green finishing fourth in the men’s K1 1000 final to qualify a Paris boat spot and Wood achieved the same result in the K1 500,

“It’s really nice to know that I’ve been able to get a quota spot for Australia, and do that for the team,” Wood said.

“I’m really happy with the race, really happy to be in the mix and happy to be able to race with those girls again.

“The really special thing is there was three of us with kids in that race and we got third, fourth and fifth. So I think that’s really special as well,” she said.

Earlier Australia’s sprint kayak and Paracanoe team claimed three gold, one silver and a bronze at the regatta.

Ben Sainsbury after his KL1 200m win. Picture: Supplied

Curtis McGrath after his KL2 200m win.

Ben Sainsbury won gold in the KL1 200 final, Paralympian Curtis McGrath won his 11th world championships gold medal with victory in the KL2 200 final and dual Paralympian Dylan Littlehales broke through for his first world crown in the men’s KL3 200 final.

“I’ve got great memories here in Duisburg, qualifying my first ever Paralympics here, so to be able to come back and get my first World Championship … I just hope racing is here more often,” said the Central Coast paddler..

Dual Paralympian Susan Seipel win a bronze in the VL2 200 final.

Other standout performance sat included the K4 500 crew of Riley Fitzsimmons, Pierre van der Westhuyzen, Noah Havard and Jackson Collins missing the podium by just 0.274 seconds but confirming a spot in Paris and the K4 team of Ella Beere, Bull, Ally Clarke and Yale Steinepreis also confirmed a spot for the boat in Paris with their fifth.

Also notable was the fifth place of rising youngsters Kailey Harlen and Natalia Drobot in the K2 200 in their first world championship open final.

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