Who is luuka jones

Jones qualified seventh for the K1-final, finishing with a stunning run down the gate m course in a time of It was New Zealand's first ever Olympic medal in canoe slalom. At Tokyo Jones will compete in both the K1 and C1 disciplines. She became New Zealand's first female canoe slalom Olympian at the Beijing Games in , where she placed 21st.

She also competed at the London Olympic Games where she placed 14th. She is coached by former British paddler Campbell Walsh. Away from canoe slalom, Luuka loves all water sports and most outdoor pursuits. Luuka's Games History. Final At 18 years old in my pursuit to get better, I saved up my pennies and moved to Nottingham to train alongside the British kayaking team. Qualifying for Beijing in was a turning point for me. I was 19 years old, naive to the world of professional sport and totally inspired by the occasion.

Following Beijing I joined the Waiariki Academy of sport in Rotorua, recieving sports science input for the first time and immersing myself in a fun and supportive athlete environment.

This was integral in helping me qualify for and compete in the London Olympics. Following London I recieved support from High Performance Sport NZ, enabling me to work with a full time coach for the first time and a special team of sport providers to help me improve in all areas of being an athlete.

This has made a huge difference and in the last four years I have gone from being in the top 30 in the world to finishing in the top 10 at the World Championships in and 11th at the World Champs. This year I qualified for the Rio Olympics. I believe that every day is an opportunity to get better and my goal was to be sitting on the start line of the Olympics knowing I have left nothing to chance and nothing behind.

Qualified for London at the World Champs I started paddling when I was 11 years old when my parents moved next to a kayaking adventure park. I started working in exchange for kayaking lessons. I competed in my first canoe slalom race when I was 14 years old. I am focussed a lot on improving my technique and being efficient in the kayak. Sometimes Mike Dawson, Campbell Walsh, anybody who is keen to do a session.

Louise Jull - she is an amazing paddler and friend and inspires me and many others to live life to the fullest. Success is a moment, but what we're always celebrating is creativity and mastery. We often want the moment of completion, but what really propels us is the unfinished, the process. One of my favourite places to paddle is the Kaituna river. It is not great for canoe slalom training but it is a beautiful natural river and I have a lot of great memories there.

I love not only the sport of Canoe Slalom but the whole environment.