Tauranga teens a hit at canoe slalom nationals

Olympic silver medalist Luuka Jones rightly grabbed the headlines after winning her eighth national title at the NZCT New Zealand canoe slalom championships held on the Tarawera River on Easter weekend.

But the performances of two Tauranga teenagers, who grew up dreaming of emulating Jones on the world stage, were highly significant.

Bethlehem College student Claudia Paterson, 18, and Damian Torwick, 16, from Tauranga Boys' College stepped up to the open elite class after dominating the NZ Secondary Schools Whitewater Kayaking Championships held a week before on a flood-ravaged Tarawera River.

Paterson claimed her first open podium place, finishing third in the K1 final behind Jones and Olympian Jane Nicholas, making it a Tauranga clean sweep.

Torwick impressed in finishing fourth in the men's K1 final with former Tauranga Boys' students Callum Gilbert first and Olympian Mike Dawson third.

Paterson had barely competed since shoulder reconstruction last year.

"I have only been back on whitewater training for a little while, so I wasn't really sure how I was going to go. To then podium for the first time in the open category was pretty exciting and to retain my under-18 title as well," she said.

"[Jones and Nicholas] have always been that much older and that much better than me, so it just shows that as you get older, the playing field starts to level off. Everyone starts to be more competitive with each other."

Paterson said young paddlers coming through owed much to Jones.

"She has been so incredible for our sport. To have her win a silver medal means so much and I don't think a lot of people appreciate what it will do and has been doing for our sport in terms of profile.

"She is an amazing ambassador as well, and I think she has done a really good job of getting out with kids and really raising the profile of our sport. Through her, a lot of young girls will start getting into it."

Torwick's performance at just 16 shows why he is held in such high regard.

"These nationals went really well for me. It is a tough field the K1 juniors, and I came first in my first year being a junior. I managed to keep it together in the run and managed to come away fourth overall which is really exciting for me," he said.

"Mike Dawson came third, so I am creeping up on him. I'll get him someday. Seeing Callum really rise up and start beating Mike at such a young age is cool. He has been doing really well, making semis at world cups and is definitely a role model as well."

Heading into the nationals, Torwick was hoping to make top 10 and get into the A final.

"My run stuck together well while others were making small mistakes. I was able to steal a few spots up the ladder and come fourth. It was a surprise but really good."

Torwick qualified for the second spot in the New Zealand U18 Canoe Slalom team at the Junior World Championships later this year in Slovakia.