Eighteen New Zealand paddlers will take to Halifax Harbour overnight as the 2026 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships gets underway. Racing starts in the early hours of Thursday 2 July (NZ time), with the full programme running through to Sunday 5 July local time.
The championships draw 642 athletes from 54 countries, making it one of the year’s biggest gatherings of junior and emerging sprint talent. For many of the Kiwis on the start line, it’s a first taste of world championship racing. Others bring international experience and are eyeing medal finishes in what will be fiercely competitive racing across all events.
The junior women’s contingent is strong across multiple boat classes. Taylor Newman, Jacqueline Kennedy, Stella Crossan and Alexis Toy form the K4 500m crew, with each also competing in individual or paired events. Kennedy races the K1 500m, Newman the K1 200m, while Crossan and Toy combine in the K2 500m. On the men’s side, Lachlan Harkness competes in the K1 1000m and pairs with Oliver Hutchinson in the K2 500m. Hutchinson also features in the mixed 5km relay alongside Toy.
The U23 cohort spans a range of distances and boat classes. Sprinters Thomas MacGibbon and Sam Lees race K1s at 200m, 500m and 1000m distances. Reid Clancy targets the 1000m, while Dylan Monk and Tiago Chamberlain join Lees and Clancy in the men’s K4 500m. Madison Garrett and Olive Pearce form the women’s K2 500m pairing, with Garrett also racing the K1 500m and Natasha MacGibbon competing in the 1000m.
Live coverage streams via Planet Canoe’s YouTube channel, with a $16.99 monthly membership giving access to uninterrupted racing. Full schedules and live results are available at the event’s timing portal, while Canoe Racing NZ’s Instagram and Facebook pages will carry updates throughout the week.
