Tasmanian Daniel Watkins training at home while his Olympic teammates hit the water in Sydney

Paddling’s high-performance boss says Tasmanian Daniel Watkins could be preparing for the Tokyo Olympic Games in worse places than the state’s natural whitewater spots.

AUSTRALIA paddling superstar Jess Fox is back in the water but coronavirus restrictions have left Tasmanian Daniel Watkins stuck at home preparing for World Cup events and the Tokyo Olympic Games.

TASMANIAN PADDLER OFF TO THE TOKYO OLYMPIC GAMES

The NSW State Government eased restrictions for athletes like Olympic canoe slalom paddlers Fox and Lucien Delfour to join a small group of national team paddlers to train at Penrith Whitewater Stadium.

Tasmanian Daniel Watkins in action at the Australian Open Canoe Slalom in Penrith. Picture: COL BOYD

Watkins, already confirmed for the Tokyo 2020 canoe slalom team, will still train in Tasmania while state borders are closed.

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Tasmanian Daniel Watkins. Picture: SUPPLIED

Paddle Australia’s national performance director Shaun Stephens said Watkins would join the national squad as soon as possible.

“Until then Daniel is making the most of Tasmania’s natural whitewater opportunities,” Stephens said.

“We have been working very closely with the Australian Institute of Sport, our training facility partners and closely monitoring state government guidelines for the gradual return of our athletes to training.

“We are very proud of our athletes, coaches and support staff who have made the best of a very challenging situation over the past few weeks and we’ve seen some great resourcefulness and creativity with all of our paddlers continuing their training regimen.

“But we will also not rush the next phase of training with the safety of our paddlers, staff and the community as a whole being paramount.

“If we continue to work together, we can get back to training sooner and be confident that we are doing so in a safe environment.”