It is with great regret that I announce my retirement from competitive Kayaking today.
The sport and the people that I have shared it with have given me so much over the last 15 years of my life – from the first time I ever experienced kayaking at the Blue Lake at the age of seven years old to the next two times I paddled at the ages of 13 and 14 and thought that I was going to drown, and all that followed, I am very grateful. I have achieved far more than I could ever have hoped for.
Before I had ever represented NZ I wrote on a piece of paper three goals: win the World Championship, win an Olympic Gold Medal and set a new world record. I fell short only with a silver medal but achieved the other two outright. Events of the past three months have taught me to learn to live without the elusive Gold.
For now I would just like to say that it is really not how I would like to end my career but there are many circumstances that have accumulated and I have taken a few weeks to reflect before making this decision public. For a variety of reasons I have lost the passion and motivation to continue. Having said that I am looking forward to moving on with my life and onto future challenges and wish Canoe Racing New Zealand and all its athletes the very best.
