Dennis Newton - Great Britain

Dennis Newton - Member of the World Paddle Awards Academy

Dennis 'Den' Newton is by far one of the most medal-abundant coaches in paddlesports having won over 25 World Championship medals, 30 European Championship medals and multiple national titles. His coaching and expertise is renowned, with him being the coach behind many famous and successful whitewater champions from around the World.

Specialising in several disciplines of paddlesports, Dennis is most famously known for his prowess in freestyle having showcased his coaching ability and supporting athletes including 8x World Champion Claire O'Hara. Dennis has worked with athletes who have represented Great Britain, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Japan, Canada and America on the national and international circuit including the 2012 Olympics and the White Water Grand Prix, many of whom achieved podium finishes including many Championship titles and first-place finishes.

Many claim Dennis is the genius behind the tricks. Whether mentally, physically, technically or tactically, Dennis's knowledge encourages his athletes to reach their peak, striving to be 'the best of the best'. In 2011 he went back to university to study sports science with a specific focus on performance development, where he transferred his entire knowledge straight back into the sport and to his athletes. In 2015 alone his athletes brought home 8 ICF World Championship medals.

Dennis’ success stands out from the crowd; his commitment to his athletes and the sport of whitewater kayaking and a freestyle as a whole has been influential in helping it progress to where it is now. He will describe himself as uninfluential, yet if you speak to any of the athletes he has worked with, grassroots through to the elite level, they will strongly say otherwise - Dennis is an integral part of their success.

In 2011 Dennis saw the success of the World Class programme in the Olympic canoeing disciplines and chose to establish a similar programme for athletes in the non-Olympic disciplines of freestyle kayak and extreme racing. He set up the ASP (Athlete Support Programme) to provide world class coaching and support to top freestyle athletes from around the world. He used the knowledge he has acquired from studying the different disciplines and single handedly provided this to over 20 of the top international athletes. He has now worked with over 40 of the world top athletes through the ASP programme.

Whilst developing the ASP program he worked with the British Canoe Union as a Technical Advisor to develop a panel of people to tackle the issues surrounding grassroots development of the sport. He subsequently helped establish the freestyle 'Star Award' and coaching programme that is now rolling out across the UK and Europe. He also helped co-establish the ADP-World of Champions Training Academy in 2015, taking many of the world's most talented freestyle kayakers to Africa in search of the best waves worldwide to train on.

It is regularly said there is a team behind every athlete. In freestyle kayaking it is more commonly known as 'there being 'Dennis' behind each Champ'! He is one of the vital links in the freestyle chain and has helped its progression into the professional sport to which it has now become.

He is the GB Freestyle Performance Director. At the Freestyle World Championships in Argentina in December 2017 the GB Freestyle Team topped the medal table, with their best GB results to date: three golds, two silvers and two bronzes.

Dennis is a true example of the importance and value of the volunteers that make the sport of kayaking incredible and will be a valued member of the World Paddle Awards Academy.

Dennis' response to joining the Academy:

"I’m proud to be joining the WPA Academy, and very much looking forward to supporting the work of the WPA in bringing about positive social change through sport and uniting the different paddlesport discipline cultures. Whether this be amazing feats in (non-Olympic) whitewater/sea expeditions, extreme racing, big wave freestyle or (Olympic) canoe sprint and canoe slalom. Being part of the WPA Academy gives me the opportunity to honour and celebrate our paddlesport community’s, athletes, coaches, volunteers, media and event organisers."