Strong NZ canoe slalom team named for world age groups

IN FORM: Tauranga's Callum Gilbert, left, and Finn Butcher (Alexandra) lead the New Zealand junior canoe slalom team at the world age group champs in Slovakia. Photo: Jamie Troughton/Dscribe Media

Kayakers Finn Butcher and Callum Gilbert will head a 14-strong New Zealand challenge at the canoe slalom under-23 and junior world championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, beginning tonight.

The K1 pair have been regular ICF World Cup semifinalists over the recent season and Alexandra's Butcher (15th) and Tauranga's Gilbert (18th) were just single penalties away from making the top-10 final in the under-23 division last year.

Joining them this week are 16-year-old Rotorua paddler Zack Mutton, who grabbed an impressive 19th in the junior semifinals last year, and under-23 K1 paddlers Alex Hawthorne, Courtney Williams and Kensa Randle, who all have recent World Cup experience.

Juniors Callum Aitken and Damian Torwick (men's K1), Claudia Paterson, Annie Wardle and Casey Hales (women's K1) and Jack Egan, Josh Bell and Stewart Bloor (men's C1) complete the team.

They will join more than 400 athletes from almost 50 countries, including Olympic medallists and finalists, at the championship.

Heading the honour board is two-time Olympic medallist and multiple world champion Jessica Fox of Australia, who is competing at her final underage worlds. Fox is certain to be challenged by British duo Kimberley Woods and Mallory Franklin, Brazil's Ana Satila and Austria's Viktoria Wolffhardt, who have all been prominent at this year's K1 World Cups.

Olympic finalist Jakub Grigar will need hometown support in the under-23 men's K1 to help him take on a strong field which includes junior world champion Mario Leitner (Austria) and 2016 under-23 champion Ruslan Pestov (Ukraine).

New Zealand team:

Under-23: K1 men: Callum Gilbert, Alex Hawthorne, Finn Butcher. K1 women: Courtney Williams, Kensa Randle.
Junior: K1 men: Callum Aitken, Zack Mutton, Damian Torwick. K1 women: Claudia Paterson, Annie Wardle, Casey Hales. C1 men: Jack Egan, Josh Bell, Stewart Bloor.