Ahead of the 2021 NZCT New Zealand Canoe Sprint Championships at Lake Karapiro we put the spotlight on Ethan Moore – a recent invitee to the men’s national kayak squad.

The Kahawai tagline of kia kaha i te wai – be strong in the water – was perfectly exemplified by all the paddlers who competed in challenging conditions at the inaugural Kahawai Paddling Championships in Tāmaki Makaurau on Saturday.

The inaugural Kahawai Paddling Champs – a brand new Canoe Racing NZ initiative designed to help develop the next generation of paddlers – is set to launch tomorrow (Saturday May 8) on Auckland’s Takapuna Beach.

Competing in what will be only his third regatta and less than 12 months after taking up the sport, para-canoeist Corbin Hart is travelling to Szeged, Hungary later this week in pursuit of a place at the Paralympic Games.

With Nationals now postponed until May, it is likely to be significantly colder than it would have been in February. In the UK, the first domestic regatta of the season based in Nottingham, would be in April. I have raced this regatta and got sun burnt, but also have raced it when it has snowed. The important point is to be prepared for the conditions in order to optimize your athletes chance of performing at their peak.

When Taris Harker was decarded from the New Zealand men’s kayak squad in October 2018 following a mysterious heart condition many might have believed his international ambitions would have reached the end of the road.