Chilliwack slalom kayaker, 19, wins talent search, earns funding to pursue Olympics
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CHILLIWACK — Chilliwack athlete Nathan Christensen is on an potentially rewarding path to a great future after impressing scouts at the Royal Bank of Canada Training Ground national final.
Christensen, a 19-year-old slalom kayaker, has earned funding and the ability to pursue an accelerated pathway to the Olympics at the 2023 RBC Training Ground, an annual cross-country talent search run in partnership with the Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Sport Institutes.
Christensen, who paddles locally on the Tamihi Rapids in the Chilliwack River Valley and belongs to the Chilliwack Centre of Excellence, was one of more than 2,200 athletes aged 14-25 to participate in this year’s RBC Training Ground, of which only 100 athletes were invited to the final held December 2 in Toronto. From this elite group of 100 athletes, the top 30 finalists were selected for funding and ‘RBC Future Olympian’ status.
“Nathan placed 2nd overall in the interclass ranking at the 2023 National Championships, and relocated to our National Team training squad in France for the 2023 winter/spring season,” said Emily MacKeigan, senior manager of high performance operations for Canoe Kayak Canada. “He was the most improved racer from the 2022 selections and 2023 selections, so we were really happy to see Nathan’s abilities also show up in the RBC Training Ground testing, because the funding will be very meaningful for him.”
