News

The flagship 2020 Vaikobi King and Queen of the Harbour witnessed a maiden men’s surf ski title for Ben Keys and a superlative ninth women’s crown for Rachel Clarke in Auckland today.

In the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” from 1798, English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge writes, “Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink”. With the amount of information that we can collect on athlete performance and the number of technical nuances a paddler can display, it can be really difficult to know where to focus a coaches’ time and energy. Data, data, everywhere, but not a piece of use!

Rachel Clarke will be chasing a ninth women’s title while a highly competitive and open men’s surf ski race will provide the likely highlights of the 2020 Vaikobi King and Queen of the Harbour on Saturday.

Following the recent decision by the Board of the International Canoe Federation (ICF) to propose changes to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for the Paris 2024 Olympic Program, CRNZ has worked with a number of other nations to produce a joint letter to the ICF expressing concerns over: the lack of consultation; the impact that the decision will have on athletes, coaches and the sport as a whole; and the apparent breach of the ICFs own rules when voting for the change. 

The 2020 Vaikobi King and Queen of the Harbour is the marquee event of the New Zealand surf ski season. Here are five questions to be answered in Saturday’s eagerly anticipated race.

Canoe Racing New Zealand is delighted to announce that the King and Queen of the Harbour and Blue Lake 2 will both feature as highlight packages on Sky Sport 9 and Sky Sport Next.