Two brothers from Djibouti have spoken of their determination to inspire people to paddle in their country as they set their sights on a career in Canoe Slalom.
Raage Magan, 17, and Aar Magan, 14, are representing Djibouti at this week’s International Canoe Federation Canoe Slalom Junior and Under 23 World Championships in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia.
It is an historic moment for Djibouti as it is the first time the East African nation has been represented at a major ICF Canoe Slalom event.
Born and bred in Charlotte, North Carolina after their parents emigrated to the United States, Raage and Aar could compete for the US but chose to represent Djibouti.
“Both of our parents emigrated as there was war (in neighbouring Somalia), so it was really unsafe,” said Raage.
“They emigrated not to the US at first but to another country to go to school and get educated and then they came to the US to work and they had us.
“We want to make sure that we don’t lose our identity and keep in touch with our family back home in Djibouti.
“We also want to use the opportunities that we get from living in the United States and make our parents’ struggle worth it.
“I am an American, but I am Djibouti first, so I want to represent them.”
The Djibouti brothers said they were inspired to take up the sport after a kayaker came to the aid of Aar after he fell into the water during a rafting experience.
“When I was eight and Aar was five, we started doing whitewater rafting,” said Raage.
“We used to see these people in smaller boats doing crazy stuff on the water and thought we want to try that.
“When we were out rafting one time, Aar fell into the water and this guy in a kayak came and brought him back to our boat.
“It turns out that the guy was my dad’s co-worker so he talked to my dad about what kayaking is and how we could start getting into it.”
With more training and experience, Raage and Aar have improved their kayaking skills and believe they can continue to help each other with their development.
“It’s someone for me to not only compete with, but we can watch out for each other,” said Raage.
“We can say I saw you make this mistake here or there and we can discuss how we can fix those.
“Since February 2022, we have started training more seriously and doing more flatwater and whitewater sessions and have both improved quite a bit.
“Obviously we have got a long way to go but I am sure that if we keep training and keep paddling, we will get very good one day.”
Raage is part of the ICF’s two-week development camp in Liptovsky Mikulas where he has joined paddlers from around the world, while Aar is being coached by Wesly Bolyard.
Today saw them compete in the first heat of the men’s junior kayak event, with Magan finishing 59th and Aar placing 76th.
The talented teenagers said the experience in the Slovakian town has helped with their development as they strive to one day reach the Olympic stage.
“My goal is to go to the Olympics in 2028,” said Raage.
“Until then, I am going to keep paddling my hardest and any races that come my way I will see if I can win and do well.”
Aar said: “I want to participate in the 2026 Youth Olympics in Senegal. I am training for that and hopefully I will make it.
“It would be nice to have a lot of fresh new paddlers on the team and I am hopeful that with myself and my brother paddling for Djibouti, it will inspire more kids to paddle for the country.
“I feel very connected to making sure that paddling stays alive in Djibouti.”
Raage added: “In the next 10 years, I am sure you will see more Djibouti paddlers popping up and we will be there to help them along the way.”
Canoeing has officially become a school sport in Djibouti as it looks to increase its pool of young paddlers.
Earlier this year, an agreement was struck between Djibouti's Ministry of Education and Ministry of Sports and the Djibouti Rowing and Canoe Federation to put canoeing in schools.
ICF President Thomas Konietzko visited Djibouti in April where he heard about the country’s big plans for the sport.
Nadjib Mazar, a former Algerian paddler who coaches Switzerland’s junior and U23 team, has been helping Djibouti with its development programme.
“What I am really happy about it is that since slalom started in Djibouti in October 2023, they have done three or four competitions and are trying to bring people to the sport,” said Mazar.
“They have put energy into it, and they are developing it.
“For me, the Youth Olympic Games format is a great way to develop slalom in the country because it is safe, and it is easy to set up.
“The skills are developing and growing and with the two athletes based in the US, they can help and also share their experiences with their home country.”
All of today's results from the men's and women's canoe and kayak U23 heats at the World Championships can be found here.
Pictures by ICF/Damiano Benedetto
Full coverage of this week's event can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
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