K1 kayaks inspire Olympic hopes

The arrival of 2 K1 kayaks on Rarotonga this month is inspiring future Olympic glory among young Cook Islands paddlers.

Single person K1 kayaking is an Olympic sport and one that junior oe vaka development officer Teina Taulu hopes will be competed in by Cook Islands athletes at the 2016 Rio Olympics.Using funding from the Olympic Solidarity Programme run through CISNOC, Taulu sourced 2 second-hand kayaks from New Zealand along with 6 top of the line paddles.

They were freighted to Rarotonga by Cook Islands News as a sponsor of the Cook Islands Canoeing Association.

Already local youth paddlers have been mastering the art of paddling surfskis introduced to Rarotonga last year by Australian surfski expert and coach Jimmy Walker.

Andre Tutaka, 16, has excelled in the surfki and has won all the races in the category this season.Tutaka along with fellow paddler Ashley Chaloner, also 16, have already notched up an international K1 race after taking part in a regatta earlier this year in Rotorua.The pair only had 10 hours of training on the K1 before competing against top paddlers in their age group from around New Zealand.

Despite the short training time, Tutaka managed to paddle his way to the semifinals of his division.According to Taulu, more than 50 junior paddlers have been involved in the oe vaka development programme which starts by teaching beginner paddlers competence in paddling the outrigger canoes.

Teina Taulu adds that they hope to purchase more K1 kayaks and get them up to Aitutaki as the glassy lagoons of the island is perfect for K1 raing.

Taulu and CICA would like to thank CINews for transporting the 2 K1 kayaks along with other canoeing equipment to Rarotonga free of charge.

Anyone interested in giving the K1 kayaks, surfski or oe vaka a go get along to Avarua harbour or contact Teina Taulu on 51249.