Kiwi Olympic medallist canoe slalom star Luuka Jones returns with Paris goal after a year out with long Covid

Luuka Jones in action at the Tokyo Olympics. Photo / Getty Images

By RNZ

Missing almost an entire year of competition due to long Covid hasn’t deterred canoe slalom star Luuka Jones from trying to get to a fifth Olympics.

The Rio 2016 silver medallist has returned to training with Olympic qualification through this year’s World Championships her main aim.

Jones’ last major competition was the World Championships in Slovakia in September 2021.

She then caught Covid on March 22, but still decided to head to Europe in May.

However, she only lasted a couple of weeks before returning home.

“I must have done too much those first couple of weeks in France because I essentially fell off a cliff,” the 34-year-old said.

“I was so fatigued all the time.”

Jones admits it was a tough call to return home as the World Cup season was about to start, knowing that she would likely miss the rest of the series.

It was the first time she had missed an international competition because of injury or illness.

The Rotorua-based athlete first competed at the Olympics in Beijing in 2008 where she finished 21st. She then improved to 14th in London 2012 and then jumped onto the podium with her silver medal in Rio. In Tokyo she was sixth in the K1 and 13th in the C1.

After being laid low for most of last year, Jones returned to training in November and managed to compete in a couple of races in New Zealand and Australia.

However, it hasn’t been all plain paddling — she’s recently battled neck and back injuries, a kidney infection and Covid for a second time.

“It’s not hit me as bad as the first time, but it still knocked me back and I haven’t been able to train fully, so I’m just easing back into training now.

“I don’t train like I used to, I’m having to take a work smarter approach.

“My body has had a lot of years of training and I guess I’m getting injured more often now so I need to be more careful.”

Jones realises that if she does get to the Paris Olympics it will be quite an accomplishment after what she’s been through over the past year.

“Having to sit out last year and the fact that every race is kind of my final race, it really makes me appreciate what I do and what I’ve done in those final years in the sport.”

Jones will compete in the National Championships in Tekapo over Easter.

She will then head to Europe in May to compete on the World Cup circuit with Olympic qualification at the World Championships in London in September.

Jones admits her main aim at the moment is to stay healthy and injury-free.

Besides the K1 event, Jones will also race the new extreme slalom competition this year, which involves four paddlers racing down the white-water at the same time.