Tasmanian paddler Daniel Watkins off to the Tokyo Olympic Games

Find out why they call Hobart slalom ace Daniel Watkins “Dan the Van Man”

Tasmanian canoeist Daniel Watkins (Pic: canoephotography.com/Bence Vekassy ICF)

TASMANIAN paddler Daniel Watkins says being selected in the Australian team for his Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in August could be a life-changer.

The reigning Oceania C1 slalom champion, Watkins, 24, of Hobart, booked his ticket to Tokyo by winning Paddle Australia selection trials in Sydney last week.

It was a dream come true for the kid who started paddling at 11 years old when his mum and dad signed him up for the Derwent Canoe Club beginners program.

“Making the Olympic Team means everything to me, it can change your life forever,” Watkins said. “It’s the pinnacle of our sport and I’m still overwhelmed.

Tasmanian canoeist Daniel Watkins Picture: CANOEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM/BALINT VEKASSY ICF

“When I made it through the selection trials and knew I’d secured the spot, I had super strong emotions for the next few hours.

“It’s hard to put into words how it feels after paddling for 10 years to make an Olympic Team – it’s very powerful.”

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Watkins is known to his paddling colleagues as “Dan the Van-Man” because he spends months each year trekking through wild terrain in his van, swapping the technical slalom course to canoe through Australia’s natural whitewater wonders.

“For the past five years I have been living in my van for a few months each year,” he said.

“It keeps me connected to why I began the sport to begin with: getting into the wilderness, getting out on rivers and enjoying that time with friends and family.”

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