MELKSHAM resident, Alex Edwards, has competed in the 2023 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships held in Columbus, Georgia, in the USA, where he came in at sixth place.
Alex said, “Right now, I’m pretty disappointed, having finished second at the previous three world championships my goal was to improve on that. It was a really difficult competition and the margins were small.
“While the result isn’t what I was aiming for and my performance came up short, I’m still pleased with the progress I’ve made in the last year. I decided to take a totally different strategy to this year’s event, using hand paddles rather than a conventional paddle, which meant re-learning all the moves.
“Competitors [in the event] have one-minute runs and a defined area of the river in which to perform complex moves with their boats, twisting and turning and going end over end. The more difficult the moves, the higher the points awarded. The rules are very prescriptive as to what scores, so it’s very objective. It’s a real test of skill and boat control. Everyone competes in the preliminary round, with the top 10 progressing to semi-finals and from there, the top five move on to the final to decide the medals.
“This year’s competition was really tough; due to a drought in the area, the water level was low and the amount of time the dam was releasing was limited, which made it hard to get to grips with the venue. I did pretty well in the preliminary round, with two consistent runs putting me through to the semi-finals.
“In the semi-finals, I didn’t manage to put everything together as I planned, which meant I missed out on a place in the final and ended up in sixth place overall.”
Alex said the water levels fluctuated during the competition, presenting new challenges each time he got into the water. “This made it hard to come up with a plan that was going to work every time,” explains Alex, who has been kayaking since he was eight years old. “Freestyle kayaking is a bit like gymnastics in a kayak. The main highlight of the competition for me was getting to paddle with people from all over the world. Through doing these competitions, I’ve met up with people again from all corners of the globe and spending time doing the thing we all enjoy is an experience, I’m always grateful to have the opportunity to do this.”
Locally, Alex coordinates multiple sessions and activities each week at Wiltshire Youth Canoe Club, based in Melksham. “We’ve grown the club significantly this year,” says Alex, “thanks to a project to add paddleboards alongside the canoes and kayaks we already use.”
