Central Coast sports star Natalia Drobot paddled her way to a gold medal at the 2025 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships held in Portugal from July 23-27.
Continuing her streak of podium performances from the senior Sprint World Cups earlier this year, Drobot dominated in the U23 K1 500.
“I was really stoked with how I put my semi final together, and getting a PB of under 1.50, which was a goal for the season, is something I am really proud of,” Drobot said.
“The PB in the semi gave me quite a lot of confidence leading into the final and I knew I just needed to replicate my race plan again.
“Crossing the line, it was a mix of relief of being able to finish the race and (knowing) that all the hard work I’ve put in over the years has paid off.
“My performances at the World Cups and on the weekend have given me quite a bit of confidence.
“(They show) that I am able to execute race plans under pressure, especially leading into the senior World Championships in Milan in August.
“I think it is easy to execute them when you’re the underdog but when it comes to the big regattas, and when you’ve already made a name for yourself, it becomes a bit more stressful.
“Being able to do that gives me a very big confidence boost leading into the senior World Championships in Milan.”
Also scoring medals for the Australian team were Paris 2024 Olympic silver medalist Pierre van der Westhuyzen who took bronze medal in the U23 K1 500 and the U23 K4 500 women’s team – Samantha Lourey, Jasmine Locke, Jasmine Rayward and Alyssa Bailey – who came away with silver.
