Winners 2018 World Paddle Awards Announced
Writer: Guy Dresser
The 2018 World Paddle Awards have been announced, celebrating the best and most remarkable performances in paddlesport over the past year.
Jessica Fox was Sportswoman of the Year, a second consecutive win and, perhaps, an unsurprising victory for the Australian who last year won her second Olympic medal and, with the successful defence of her 2017 World Championship K1 title, became the most successful slalom paddler in history with seven World senior titles.
Fox’s stature as a veritable giant of the sport appears to have been cemented by her 2018 performances and, with the inclusion of women’s canoe in the Olympic programme for 2020, there is perhaps more to come – as Fox aims to take part in both the kayak and canoe competitions in Tokyo.
“It is such an honour to win this award for the second time in a row now,” said Fox. “The finalists are all incredible athletes across all disciplines of canoeing who have had phenomenal seasons and contributed so much to the sport so to be recognised in this way is huge and I am very grateful for the votes and support of the WPA, broader canoeing community and all the fans.”
Sportsman of the Year is Fernando Pimenta, the sprinter who in 2018 became the first Portuguese kayaker to win a world title in an Olympic event after carrying off the K1 1,000m title at the ICF World Championships. He also took the World 5,000m title after virtually leading the race from start to finish.
For the first time, the awards, now in their fifth edition, were announced online instead of in front of an audience of the great and the good of the canoeing world, as in previous years. The revised format reflected the organisational difficulties encountered in the proposed host city, London.
“We took the decision to hold the event online,” says Dutchman Rob van Bommel, President of the World Paddle Awards. “It’s not ideal, obviously, but there is a lot of enthusiasm, support, and sponsorship behind the awards, we’ll be back in a physical form next year.”
The Awards recognised success on and off the water.
On the water, Germany’s all-conquering men’s canoe polo team picked up the inaugural Team Award, ahead of Canada’s Outer Harbour Warriors and Tahiti’s Shell Va’a. The German team, which had won five silver and three bronze medals in the 12 World Championships staged since the first event in the UK, finally won gold in 2018. The team dedicated their win – and the World Paddle Award – to former teammate Fiete Junge, who died unexpectedly in the run-up to the Canoe Polo World Championships after contracting meningitis.
Team coach Bjorn Zirotzki said: “We are not a team of superstars, we are a superstar team. The last time we met with Fiete we talked about how we wanted to be world champions. He would say all the time, ‘hey guys, let’s do this’, so we did it for Fiete.”
There was British delight at the victory of freestyle kayaker Ottilie Robinson Shaw. Her win marked the fifth year on the trot that a girl has won the Sports Junior award.
Shaw said she hoped her win would encourage other girls into kayaking.
“Whilst traditionally kayaking has been male dominated perhaps there is a realisation that women with the right opportunities, training and commitment can compete with the men on equal terms,” she said. “In freestyle there is still a gap in the standard but with awesome role models such as Claire O’Hara pushing the boundaries, that gap has become smaller and for girls making that change in all disciplines has to be inspiring and worth voting for.”
Joe Mornini and Team River Runner were a popular American winner of the 2018 Foundation Award. A retired special education teacher and lifetime outdoor enthusiast, Joe co-founded Team River Runner, to provide wounded and disable military veterans with the opportunity to embrace new challenges through adaptive paddling adventure programmes.
Offering paddling sessions in over 65 locations across the US, Team River Runner has helped countless war veterans overcome psychological and physical wounds of war through the healing power of water.
Mornini expressed delight at the win, which he described as worthy recognition of thousands of individuals’ efforts over many years: “Volunteers, veterans, active duty service members, caregivers...the list is endless. This award belongs to them. Is sheepish a good word? When we started back in late 2004, the first thing I told those willing to try out kayaking was ‘please don't thank me, let this be the way I (we) thank you.’ I still mean that. This award tells all of the Team River Runner family that we have healing and empowering ‘lightening in a bottle’ for thousands more.”
Off the water, film maker and adventurer Olaf Obsommer (pictured below) from Germany, and Czech Daniel Stach (pictured above) tied in the Media Professional of the Year category. It’s the first time there’s been a tie for any World Paddle Award.
Stach is that unusual creature, a canoeing celebrity. The media professional has his own national TV show but started out as a member of the Czech junior slalom canoeing team in 2004. He was nominated for an award in recognition of his breathtaking commentaries at numerous canoe/kayak World championships.
Obsommer won for his substantial story-telling contributions to major sports television projects, especially in whitewater kayaking.
“I enjoy filming almost as much as kayaking,” Obsommer said. “Actually it’s more about the amazing and different people I meet along the way. Filming them pushing themselves to their limit is really rewarding. Winning feels good and it will help me to keep rocking to promote the best sport in the world.”
A popular winner in the Lifetime Achievement Award category was Claudia Kerckhoff van Wijk from Canada. A ten-time Canadian slalom paddler back in the 1970s and 1980s, and a World Championship bronze medalist, it is her drive and enthusiasm in inspiring others for which she has principally been recognised. Van Wijk has practically lived and breathed the world of whitewater kayaking all her life, from her competitive youth to her life as an owner/operator of canoeing and rafting centres, manager of the Canadian national team, and as a driving force behind the inclusion of canoe slalom in the 2016 Pan American Games.
“I am honoured to be recognised for my participation and contribution to whitewater paddling,” said van Wijk. “I am never happier than when I am in my kayak, especially when running a challenging section of river – so it’s extremely fulfilling to introduce others to this amazing sport. Being on the water is the most valuable and wonderful experience – it’s magical.”
The Academy Awards
These awards are made solely at the discretion of the World Paddle Awards Academy with over 40 members, recognising exceptional achievements. So far only three people have had the honor to receive this award: Jessica Fox (2014), Sebastian Brendel (2015) and Hank McGregor (2017). This year, the Academy recognised three individuals:
Aniol and Gerd Serralsolses ESP
Both were nominated for the Sportsman of the Year award for their achievements on wildwater: Gerd in 2015 and Aniol in 2016. Both were nominated for the 2018 Foundation Award with the Serrasolses Brothers Program. They are elite athletes who have pushed the boundaries of wildwater kayaking, their humanitarian projects have transcended the sport and made a positive societal impact around the globe.
Laurence Vincent Lapointe CAN
Laurence has been a nominee for the Sportswoman of the Year award three times, in 2015, 2017 and 2018. An outspoken advocate for women’s canoeing to be included in the Olympic programme, in 2018 Laurence received more than 3,000 votes, one of the highest public votes in the history of the World Paddle Awards.
List of finalists and the winners:
Academy Awards
- Aniol Serrasolses ESP
- Gerd Serrasolses ESP
- Laurence Vincent-Lapointe CAN
Sportsman of the Year
- Fernando Pimenta POR
- Curtis McGrath AUS
- Cory Hill AUS
Sportswoman of the Year
- Jessica Fox AUS
- Laurence Vincent Lapointe CAN
- Danuta Kozak HUN
Lifetime Achievement
- Claudia Kerckhoff van Wijk CAN
- Csaba Szanto HUN
- Jackie Dillon AUS
Foundation Award
- Joe Mornini with Team River Runner USA
- Rob Thompson with The Odyssee Innovation GBR
- Bradley John Fisher with the Soweto Canoe and Recreation Club RSA
Junior Sports Person of the Year
- Ottilie Robinson Shaw GBR
- Sophia Jensen CAN
- Thorbjorn Rask DEN
Media Professional
- Olaf Obsommer GER and Daniel Stach CZE
- .
- Craig Freimond RSA
Team of the Year
- Team Germany Canoe Polo (Men)
- Outer Harbour Warriors CAN
- Shell Va'a Haiti FYI
The profiles of all nominees, finalists and winners can be found at: www.worldpaddleawards.com/nominees
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Fact box – The history of the World Paddle Awards The votes have two key parts – all the nominees are put forward by public vote. Although some sports personality awards have been subjected to online campaigns, and the WPA is no exception, with some countries and federations pushing candidates in each category, a filtering process takes place with a public vote taking place in parallel to two rounds of voting by members of the WPA Academy, the august body of paddling experts and enthusiasts, who ensure that they are representative of their disciplines and also worthy of nomination. British Canoeing President and WPA Academy member Ivan Lawler, who has compered the awards evening for the past two editions of the awards, says the shortlisted candidates are all genuine stars in their own right: “You could read the biographies of the final few in each category and they all have that ‘wow’ factor. Deciding who’s going to win is an incredibly difficult decision, and even being shortlisted is of course a real honour.” With categories diverse enough to reflect the sporting stars and those who make it all possible, from event organisers, to venue managers, media personnel, photographers, and club coaches, there are few aspects of the sport that are not represented. Bringing them together is what makes the awards unique – there is no other convening event for the entire paddling world. “A World Championships is just that – the top event for one discipline,” says Lawler. “Where are you going to get multiple champions from different disciplines together in one place at the same time? It never happens!” Julie Pearce, Technical Lead with the English Institute of Sport, works with five Olympic sports, including canoeing, agrees. A member of the WPA Academy for more than four years, she believes the awards have succeeded in creating a community that didn’t previously exist. “The awards have brought together many different people from the paddling scene. They’ve helped create an awareness of the dedication and passion towards the different branches of the paddling world. It’s one sport, but with so many disciplines the enthusiasm would otherwise be fragmented.” The awards have also attracted strong sport and sponsorship from numerous paddlesport businesses, including Dansprint Ergometers, NELO Kayaks, Jantex Paddles and many other equipment providers. An overview of all nominees, finalists and winners in the past five years (2014-2018) can be found at: www.worldpaddleawards.com/winners |