Sport
30 August, 2024
Ellie to head to Croatia
WARRNAMBOOL’S Ellie Johnson will head to Croatia next month to compete in the Marathon Kayaking World Championships.
Ellie will compete in the under 23, K1 marathon.
The event involves competitors paddling 22 kilometres, which consists of six laps of the course and five portages.
“A portage is where you get out of your boat and you run with it for about 100m and then you pop it back in the water and you keep going,” Ellie explained.
“I’ve done the national and the state events, but this will be my first time qualifying and going overseas.
“It’s hard to know where I’m at because I’ve never raced at this level before and I’ve never raced internationally before, but I’m really excited to represent my country and have that experience.”
Ellie is part of a paddle-mad family, and she’s not the first member to compete internationally.
“Both my siblings went to the world championships in China a few years ago,” she said.
“My dad got me into it… he got me in a kayak when I was four or five. I’d have sleeps in the kayak while he paddled.”
Ellie began competing when she was about 12 years-old and her interest and success grew from then.
She believes Warrnambool is a great place to train, with two rivers and the ocean all viable options.
“It’s nice to have a change of scenery with the three different locations,” she said.
“The Hopkins is really pretty and it’s so big, but the Merri is better because it’s sheltered.
“Because I do surf lifesaving, I do a lot of ski paddling, so a slightly different boat but the same action using the same paddle.”
Warrnambool mayor Cr Ben Blain said he was happy that council was able to help Ellie compete overseas.
“It’s amazing to see Ellie competing at such a high level in the sport and really representing Warrnambool and the country,” he said.
“It’s really exciting to see Ellie and all the work she’s put in to make it this far, and for council to be able to support her is a really special thing.
“It’s not just the athletes, there are so many volunteers and committees that do so much to enable these things to happen so I think it’s really good that we’re on the world stage and we’re punching well above our weight.
“We’ve got the new kayak launching facility here at the end of Woodend Road and I think it’s been really well utilised.
“There are so many special places where we can train here in Warrnambool, whether it’s the Hopkins or down here at the Merri with the new launching pontoon which we put in with help from the state government.”
Ellie was helped on her journey by a grant from council’s Individual or Group Assistance Fund.
As part of council’s vision for a healthy and active city, grants are available for local athletes competing at elite levels, as part of an affiliated state or national event, or international activity or event (such as national and world championships).
Funding is available for national competitions up to $300 for an individual and up to $500 for a team.
Funding for international competitions is up to $700 for an individual or up to $1,000 for a team.
Ellie said she was looking forward to her first international competition, with the grant a big help.
“It’s really made it a lot more helpful to have the opportunity to go overseas as it’s a big expense,” she said.
The ICF Marathon Kayaking World Championships will run from September 16-22.
Athletes and teams looking to learn more about council grants can visit www.warrnambool.vic.gov.au/sports-and-recreation-funding 
