Sydney University paddler Tim Anderson has been selected for the Australian team to contest the men’s kayak 1 event at the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris from July 26 until August 11.
The announcement came after 29-year-old Anderson won the men’s cross kayak at the 2024 Canoe Slalom Australian Open at Penrith Whitewater Stadium at the weekend, capping a series of top 10 finishes in international competition over the past 12 months. Anderson, a Sydney University alumnus and a former member of the SU Sport and Fitness Elite Athlete Program, will be making his Olympic debut in Paris, joining fellow SU paddler Jess Fox, who was selected in the team late last year to compete in the women’s C1 and K1 at the Games.
In announcing Anderson’s selection, Chef de Mission for the 2024 Australian Olympic Team, Anna Meares, said being named to your first Australian Olympic Team is a special moment. “So much goes into those 100 seconds flying down the whitewater course – the gym, training, analysis, spending months of the year traveling and competing to hone their craft,” she said.
Anderson, who moved to Penrith from Victoria as an 18-year-old to pursue his slalom passion and attend Sydney University, came to notice in 2023, finishing fifth at the World Championships and third overall in Kayak Cross season rankings.
“It’s incredible to be selected for Paris 2024, I’ve worked so hard for this for more than a decade, it’s really exciting to see that all paying off,” Anderson told Paddling Australia.
“I remember one of the first times I got in a kayak, nearly 20 years ago, I was paddling backward at the top of this tiny rapid on the Yarra because I was too scared to go down, and a few tears were shed. To think I’m now going to an Olympics is pretty incredible.
“Thank you to everyone who has played a part in my journey – there are so many out there. My family, friends, and girlfriend are the biggest part of that, I hope they can feel as proud as I am to represent Australia at the Olympics.”
After finishing fifth in the kayak final at the 2024 Canoe Slalom Australian Open at Penrith Whitewater Stadium, Anderson backed up in the cross kayak to claim the gold and push his claims for a Paris Olympic Games berth.
“I’m stoked. It was a pretty incredible race really, I seemed to make all the right choices and everything went my way,” Anderson said. “It’s been a really big couple of weeks with the Canoe Slalom Oceania Championships followed by the Australian Open. It’s been quite stressful so it’s nice to finish off on a high note and execute what I planned to do. I’m a little worn out so a nice quick break now will be nice, see my family hopefully for a bit more and then get some volume training which is what the other internationals will be doing now.”
Australia has further chances to earn quotas in the new Olympic event of kayak cross – at the Kayak Cross Global Qualifying Tournament in Prague in June.
