NZ Canoe Slalom Champs: Mike Dawson's first race back

They're coming in from vastly different directions but Olympic paddlers Mike Dawson and Luuka Jones are equally excited about this weekend's New Zealand Canoe Slalom championships in Kawerau.

The NZCT-sponsored event will be held on the Tarawera River in the Eastern Bay of Plenty town, with seeding races today and the finals tomorrow.

It will be Dawson's first race since he broke his back in an extreme kayaking event in Chile in November and the 26-year-old is keen to taste the fruits of an extensive rehabilitation program.

"I'm expecting to win and take it out but it's only been a few weeks since I've been back in my boat and allowed to paddle so I'll take it quite easy on the water," Dawson explained.  "I feel 100 percent right now but I've still got another few months and quite a long road to get flexibility back and to get stability back and then work on power and endurance."

Jones, meanwhile, has enjoyed a vastly more productive summer, though not all of it has been in a slalom boat.  The 24-year-old, a veteran of both the Beijing and London Olympics, has tried her hand in surf lifesaving, mountain biking, surfing, road cycling and rafting.  She's won a national waka ama title and even paddled over Huka Falls in a kayak recently.

"It's given me a really clear perspective and I feel fresh mentally and really motivated," Jones said.  "Although the world championships in September are my main priority, I'm really looking forward to racing this weekend and winning the national title, as I didn't get to race nationals this weekend with my Olympic buildup."

The pair have been given a major boost by High Performance Sport New Zealand, who will help fund their campaign towards the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.  For Dawson, this means a timely change of focus, after using the proceeds of his extreme racing career to fund his London Olympics tilt.

"This season will definitely have a bit less extreme racing, mainly due to my back. I don't want to break it or injure it any worse than it already is so I'll just focus on the slalom and get ready for Rio in 2016. I missed a big chunk of the summer training, where we concentrate on endurance, so right now I'm just focused on getting back to where I was, getting back in the gym, getting strength and fitness back and then I'll be heading to China to train before the world cups throughout Europe and the world championships in September."

Tauranga-raised Cook Islands Olympian Ella Nicholas should give Jones some healthy competition this weekend, while the Olympians will face stiff competition this weekend from a barrage of young talent, who have warmed up with the NZCT New Zealand Secondary Schools championships this week.

Wanaka star Jess Bailey, Tauranga's Haylee Dangen and New Zealand junior team member Callum Gilbert (Tauranga Boys') are all capable of rising to the next level, while an 18-strong contingent from the Australian national talent squad will also compete.

Ben Gibb looms as the top C1 contender, along with New Zealand teammates Shaun Johns and Brent Bastin, with Gibb having won all four national selection events earlier in the season.