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Born and raised on Auckland’s North Shore, Caitlin Ryan is a firmly established member of the New Zealand ‘s women’s elite squad and a first-class international performer.
A multiple national title holder in surf lifesaving in her younger days, she was later persuaded to take up kayaking and just seven months after first picking up a paddle she competed for New Zealand at the 2013 World U23 Championships, placing eighth in the A Final.
Making her debut appearance at the open World Championships in 2014, the following year she struck gold as part of the triumphant K4 crew at the World Cup in Portugal.
Featuring in the K4 team of Jaimee Lovett, Kayla Imrie and Aimee Fisher, which placed fifth in the A Final at the 2016 Rio Olympics, her performances stepped up another level in 2017. Coached by Gordon Walker, Caitlin bagged four gold medals on the World Cup circuit before striking World Championship gold – alongside Lisa Carrington – in the K2 500m.
In 2018, Caitlin set a world’s fastest time for the K1 500m in Hungary on her way to World Cup gold and also won K2 500m and K4 500m silver medals at the World Championships in Portugal.