With one week to go for the 2025 International Canoe Federation Slalom World Championships in Penrith, the hosts have had some shake-ups to their squad.
Earlier this month, it was confirmed that Olympic great and multiple world champion Jessica Fox will not be competing at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium, as she recovers from surgery.
While it may be a big blow, the Aussies still have a formidable line-up with some big players.
Here are the home heroes eyeing a splash:
Noemie Fox: The reigning Olympic kayak cross champion has not had the best results on the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup circuit this season, having failed to win a medal. However, she started 2025 with a silver medal in canoe and kayak and a bronze in the kayak cross at the Oceania Championships. While form is not on her side, the thrill of a home World Championships and being the lone warrior in the Fox family will add to her motivation. Nobody expected her to deliver in Paris, yet she came out with flying colours. Can Penrith be the moment she has been waiting for?
Lucien Delfour: At 36, Delfour has reinvented himself this season. At the first World Cup of the season in La Seu, the French-born paddler got the K1 bronze, his first of the competition since 2019 in Markkleeberg. At the next stop in Pau, he repeated the feat. Delfour started the year with a kayak cross and K1 silver at the Oceania Championships, and the K1 team junior bronze medallist will be keen to add a senior World Championships podium to his name.
Kate Eckhardt: Part of the World Championships gold medal-winning K1 team from 2023 in London, title defence will be the sole priority for Eckhardt. After winning a C1 and K1 bronzes at the Oceania Championships, the 27-year-old finished 20th overall in the women’s K1 at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Series. Penrith is a special place for the Aussie, who won a junior K1 world silver medal 11 years ago. Will it be a full-circle moment for the Tasmanian star?
Codie Davidson: The local star and youngster, who won kayak cross bronze at the 2024 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom World Championships, will be joining the senior kayak cross team for the first time. In Liptovsky Mikulas, she won Australia’s only medal, with the likes of Fox to look up to, the 18-year-old is definitely among the rising stars of the sport.
Tristan Carter: On his Olympic debut in Paris, he finished ninth in the C1 amongst a stacked field of athletes. A commendable performance, the 27-year-old has built on that with a gold medal this year. At the Oceania Championships, he cruised to the C1 title. Later, at a world ranking event at home, he got C1 silver. Yet to win a World Championships medal, Penrith could be the perfect opportunity for Cater to cement his name among the elite.
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