The 2014 Canoe Sprint Oceania Championships will be held at the Sydney International Regatta Centre this weekend, with the event also doubling as the selection event for the Australian U23 squad with WAIS athletes vying for selection.
Eligible U23 members of the WAIS squad will contest the U23 events with Phoebe George (Mt Lawley) looking to carry on her good form from the domestic season thus far.
George is expected to be leading contender in the U23 K1 500m and 200m and along with Jaymee Lee Martin (Willeton) will be a serious challenger in the K2 500m.
Australian Junior representative, Shannon Reynolds (Wembley) has recorded a couple of personal bests in her last two regattas (in the K1 500m) and will be looking to replicate those performances in her first season as an U23 competitor.
The Championships will also see racing across the Paracanoe events, with Rio 2016 hopeful Brock Ingram (Maylands) one of the leading contestants in the LTA (legs, trunks, arms) K1 200m class. Ingram will be joined on the start line by current German World Champion Tom Kierney and New Zealand’s fifth ranked Scott Martlew ensuring the event will be of world class standard.
Paracanoe is due to make its Paralympic debut in 2016, with Ingram hoping to be part of the select group of athletes to represent Australia for the first time at the Games.
