There are plenty of creeks and rivers in Melbourne’s outer northern suburbs so it’s perhaps not a surprise that Victoria’s pre-eminent kayakers should hail from the area.
Last month, three young outer northern residents and Ivanhoe Grammar students dominated the 2012 Australian Schools’ Kayaking Championships at Eildon.
James Le Motte and Caleb Sirianni, both 13, and Nima Karimi,12, all took on the swirling rapids and won medals at the championships.
Karimi, who was born in New Zealand to Iranian parents, won gold in a kayak event. He then teamed up with Le Motte, Sirianni and three other paddlers to win the C2 team race, in which three boats of two people must paddle through the course in the quickest time.
Karimi has been paddling for about a year and says the championships are a highlight. “It was pretty good, a lot of my friends got medals, as did I,” he says.
“It felt great and amazing and it was a good team effort. I like being in the kayak. The K1 race was really hard, trying to get through all the gates on the course.”
Le Motte says the heat made it all the more difficult. “It was during that heatwave in Victoria which was sort of unbearable and made it very hard to compete,” he says.
He finished second in the solo down river race and teamed up with Sirianni in the team race, which he says was hectic.
“The rapids were flowing pretty fast,” he says. “One gate everyone capsized in a very rough bit of water that was quite hard to go through.”
Le Motte started paddling in March last year and says canoeing and kayaking has quickly become his favourite sporting pursuit.
“It’s easily my favourite now,” he says. “It’s quite fun and gives you a lot of adrenalin.”
Sirianni also started about the same time after watching a video about the sport at school. He entered in five races at the championships and says the C2 team slalom race was the highlight.
“We won gold in that,” Sirianni says. “I enjoyed it a lot, getting to go down the rapids and experiencing all the different courses you’re not really used to. I haven’t done anything like that before.”
All three boys say they will continue to compete in events before turning their focus to Victorian championships later this year.
