In any competition , there are dark horses and the senior men ’ s is so stacked that any number of competitors could be in with a shot . Look out for Canada ’ s kayaking celebrity Nick Troutman , GB ’ s 2011 World Champion ; James ‘ Pringle ’ Bebbington ( GB ), USA ’ s current junior gold medallist Mason Hargrove ; France ’ s Tom Dolle ; Poland ’ s Tomasz Czaplicki and the mostly unknown German , now Nottingham local , Johannes Baaden .
EJ ! How can we do an article on who to watch without mentioning the Godfather himself ! While EJ may no longer be dominating freestyle as he once did , he has , at 58 years old , seemingly achieved the remarkable feat of beating father time himself . His mysterious departure from Jackson Kayak has led him to found a new kayak company , Apex Watercraft . EJ has been working on a new freestyle kayak , the Rebound . He will want to show his athletic performance and his new freestyle machine . And who wouldn ’ t want to see a living legend of the scene compete once again for Team USA .
Eric ‘ EJ ’ Jackson Photo : Jason Ambrose
Heidi Walsh
WOMEN ’ S K1 In the senior women ’ s category , and just 20 years old , already a worldwide legend , is Ottie Robinson Shaw . She is the undisputed champion of women ’ s freestyle , and with her hero , Claire O ’ Hara , no longer competing , this will be her worlds to lose and her first as a senior . Ottie is throwing moves never before seen in women ’ s freestyle and has inspired a whole new generation of up-and-coming junior paddlers who would love to see their hero take the gold medal for the first time as a senior . There only real question is by how much she will win .
Japan ’ s greatest female freestyle kayaker Hitomi finally won a gold medal in Sort after winning multiple silver medals in past world championships . Hitomi will want to stop Ottie ’ s domination by retaining her world ’ s title .
The major battle will be for the remaining podium positions , and a fierce battle it should be . Look out for current French silver medallist Marlene Devillez and bronze medallist , Poland ’ s Zofia Tula , battling for a spot against team GB ’ s senior women . These are Emma Witherford , Heidi Walsh and Lowri Davies , who have trained throughout a harsh winter on the world ’ s feature and have come to know it very well . They ’ ll need to do their best to advance through the ranks , but don ’ t be surprised to see their names in the final .
Ireland ’ s best hope will be Aoife Hanrahan , chief organiser of Galway Fest , who won a bronze medal in Paris 2021 . Never look past the competitive experience of USA ’ s Emily Jackson , and Germany will look to Anna Hubner and current junior champion Merle Hauser for their hopes of a medal .
Poland ’ s Zofia Tula Photo : Bartosz Czauderna
GB ’ s Emma Witherford Photo : Lisette Nixon
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