When Faust Clotet Juanmarti attended an International Canoe Federation Canoe Freestyle development camp in 2019, little did he know what was in store for the future.
It all began at the 2019 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships in Sort, a picturesque Spanish town in the province of Lleida, where he seized an opportunity to be coached by former junior world champion Jason Craig.
Fast forward five years and the 17-year-old is now a world champion himself.
Earlier this month, the Spaniard won his country’s only gold at the ICF Canoe Slalom Junior and Under 23 World Championships in Liptovsky Mikulas, Slovakia in the junior kayak cross final.
It was an impressive performance as he beat the in-form Ziga Lin Hocevar of Slovenia, who won a first senior European title and a maiden ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup gold to begin the season.
“Being a world champion was always a dream. In that training camp, my favourite modality was slalom like now, although I also liked kayak cross a lot,” Juanmarti said, remembering his time in Sort.
“The skills that I learned in freestyle, especially the roll, helped me a lot in kayak cross.”
With the event set to make its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, Juanmarti has already set his targets.
“In the short term, my goal is the ECA Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom European Championships in August.
“Next year, I want to target the senior team and the dream of my life is the Olympic Games.”
ICF Vice President Lluis Rabaneda, also a Spanish Olympic Committee Board member, praised Juanmarti.
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He highlighted the versatility of canoeing disciplines, noting how skills in one area, like freestyle, can benefit another, such as slalom or kayak cross.
“This happens in all our disciplines, which is why the ICF invests equally in developing both Olympic and non-Olympic events,” said Rabaneda, who was in charge of the camp and the World Championships in 2019.
“Faust’s story showcases the impact of our development camps. Five years ago, he was simply excited to attend a free camp. Now, he’s a world champion.
“We motivated him to pursue his passion, and he worked hard to represent his country on the global stage.
“This is a victory for everyone involved in the ICF development camps, and we hope to inspire more young talents like Faust to achieve their dreams.”
Pictures by ICF/Damiano Benedetto
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