Luuka Jones after racing her Tokyo Olympics K1 final. Photo / Photosport
Luuka Jones after racing her Tokyo Olympics K1 final. Photo / Photosport
Kiwi Olympic paddler Luuka Jones has admitted it took her more than a month to get over her sixth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympic Games.
The Rio silver medalist was a challenger for the podium in Tokyo, but struggled in the K1 final, clocking a time of 110.67 to missthe medals by just under four seconds.
Jones also finished 13th in her less-favoured C1 event.
Speaking to the Country Sport Breakfast on Gold AM, Jones said it took her a long time to digest the result.
"I had put so much into it and it was at the forefront of my mind for so long, so it took more than a month to stop kicking myself," she said.
"I wasn't paddling that well leading into the Games so I didn't have great feelings on the water but when racing started I got into it and still had my high hopes. It's one of those things in sport that you put everything into performing and when you don't get there it's disappointing."
Luuka Jones racing in the Slalom World Cup. Photo / Photosport
Jones added, however, that she still made fond memories in Tokyo.
"There's always something to take from it," she said.
"It was an amazing experience as always, so nice to be part of the New Zealand team and I guess I was just grateful to be there in what was a crazy time."
Jones is in Slovakia, after finishing fifth in the K1 World Cup in France, to be second overall for the 2021 season - her best result.
She's set to compete in the K1 and Extreme Salmon events at the world championships next week in Bratislava, before returning home for the summer.
"The World Cup wasn't really on my radar this year, the Olympics were everything and after having a disappointing run in the final of the K1 in the Olympics, it was nice to come back to Europe and get back into racing and to get the consolation prize," she said.
"We've got six days of training before the competition starts. It's an exciting place to paddle, the water is really big [and] at the bottom of the white water course there's a waterfall so it's a challenging course but I like it."
