Young superstar Emma Aastrand Jorgensen meets Birgit Fischer
Video interview: Marion Buk | Writer: Alyce Burnett
At just 19 years of age Emma Aastrand Jorgensen of Denmark is a seasoned professional having already achieved more than what most paddlers accomplish in their whole career. To add to her successes the five times world champion beat Sage Donnelly (USA) and Ana Satila Vargas (Brazil), to take out the 2014 Sports Junior of the year World Paddle award, capping off a stellar junior career.
The win came as a shock to the young superstar who graciously accepted the award. “It’s really important, I haven’t thought I would win this because the others are really good too. It means a lot to me and its just something that I can look to and say I have to give it all my best in the future for my career,” she said.
After bursting onto the scene at the 2013 Junior Canoe Sprint World Championships in Canada winning both the K1 200 and K1 500, it was obvious her future was bright. One year later she secured back-to-back wins in the same races at the Junior World Championships in Hungary before teaming up with partner Henriette Hansen to take out her maiden Senior World Championship title in the K2 1000 in an impressive time of 3:33.78s.
When asked about what she was feeling prior to this race she said “I just feel like it was crazy because we hadn’t done a lot of training. It was a crazy feeling but also a really good feeling.”
LEFT - Birgit Fischer and Emma Aastrand Jorgensen at the World Paddle Awards ceremony in Augsburg, Germany.
The self-confessed cake, candy and chocolate lover is poised for success, and as the clock ticks closer to the 2016 Rio Olympic Games her confidence is growing. “I’m feeling strong and I know I have won a lot in the junior years but I also know it will be a tough time to go to the seniors but I will do my best when I have to fight with them.”
Emma hopes this award on top of her recent competitive successes will encourage more girls to take up the sport of canoeing in Denmark. “The Danish girls have to go out and fight and if they want to do this they just have to go for it. I know they can if they want to,” she said.
After securing a 6th place at the recent European Championships in the K4 500 and a 7th in the K2 200, the five times world champion will search for improvement throughout the World Cup series before heading to Italy for the World Championships, where the Olympic qualification process begins. If her 2014 successes are anything to go by, the world better watch out.