12-year-old Chilliwack paddler raises funds to take part in world championships
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CHILLIWACK — A local youth athlete is looking to row her way back onto the world stage with some help from the community.
Chilliwack-area resident Katiyana Williams has been racing sprint and outrigger canoes as part of her Stó:lō and Shíshálh Indigenous heritage since she was born – earning her the skill and background to take part in this year’s World Sprint Championships in Singapore from August 17 to 26.
“Canoeing is in our blood,” said her father, Jonny Williams, who also started racing as a child. “I put her in my canoe when she was just a baby, and she’s 12 years old now, and it’s going to be her second year representing Team USA.”
The young paddler previously competed with Team USA in Bora Bora last year and has now been selected again to compete in both the U16 solo V1 outrigger canoe and six-person U19 divisions.
