In the sixth of our big interviews with the 2025 International Canoe Federation Canoe Federation World Cup Series winners, we spoke with men’s overall kayak cross champion Jonny Dickson of Great Britain.
Coming together in a room in Epinal were many of the sport’s biggest names in kayak cross sharing their thoughts on the future evolution of the new Olympic event.
Organised by the Swiss Canoe Federation in cooperation with the International Canoe Federation, the first-ever Kayak Cross Summit was staged in the northeastern French commune last month to help shape the future of the sport.
Kayak cross was a huge hit at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 with the head-to-head battles generating an electric atmosphere and capturing new audiences.
But the summit was an opportunity to find ways to further enrich the event as we look forward to LA28 and beyond.
Jonny Dickson was unable to make the gathering in Epinal but made sure to tune in to the live streaming of the conference.
“There were a lot of good discussions, so I only think the sport is going to keep progressing,” said Dickson.
“Having opportunities like that where the best in the world can come together to share ideas is only going to be beneficial for everyone.”
Dickson is one of the best kayak cross on the planet - a status he underlined by clinching the men’s overall crown in the ICF Canoe Slalom World Cup Series.
But the British paddler is refusing to rest on his laurels and is already planning to take his game to the next level in 2026.
“We need to keep finding new ways to progress because the standard is getting really high internationally,” said Dickson.
“Winning the overall World Cup shows consistency which I can take a lot of confidence from.
“Until this season, I hadn’t taken kayak cross too seriously.
“I think that’s given me extra motivation.
“The standard is getting better and better because people are taking it very seriously now.
“If that’s a route to the Olympic Games then it deserve equal attention to slalom.
“I just need to find that balance and start to train it properly.
“This is the first winter where I’ve been switched on from the start.
“In the past, I had put it on the backburner until the new year and coming into our team trials.
“This time I’m trying to get the balance right from the start of the winter training to be a double threat.”
Dickson started the World Cup season with a silver medal in La Seu. A semi-final in Pau and quarter-final in Tacen followed before another silver medal at the World Cup Final in Augsburg saw him to secure the overall title.
In the end, a mere six points separated the top three with Dickson edging Switzerland’s Jan Rohrer by just two points.
“It’s something I probably didn’t expect,” said Dickson.
“I had a few good results in kayak cross before that but to do it across the full season is really difficult.
“There is a lot of really good guys competing so to be able to say that I won the overall series is really cool.
“The standard is crazy high and it’s only going to get even better,” said Dickson.
“To balance with racing slalom is really hard when there are people there who are specifically for kayak cross.
“Even down to that final in Augsburg, whatever place either of us finished could have changed the overall standings so it was really down to the wire.
“Remaining consistent in kayak cross is definitely not easy and I think pretty much everyone would have had at least one race where they barely scored any points.
“That was the case for me as I had one or two races that weren’t amazing but I just tried to take each round as they came and tried to progress as far as I could.
“There is always a little bit more to gain in that last race with it being double points.”
Great Britain is blessed with world-class kayak cross paddlers that are all capable of winning in the time trial and in the head-to-head formats.
Sam Leaver sealed the overall title in the men’s kayak cross individual, while Joseph Clarke won a fourth successive world crown in the men’s kayak cross.
It means Dickson faces stiff competition whenever he drops from the start ramp both internationally and nationally but the 24-year-old is relishing the challenge.
“It’s really helpful as you know what the level is to be good,” said Dickson.
“We have got a really good training environment, especially within kayak cross.
“We have even more guys that are maybe not as established but are still really good.
“Yesterday, we had eight guys on and we were able to do four-man fights every time.
“That’s only going to bring the level up for everyone.
“Definitely having strong people to train with makes it a hell of a lot easier on race day.
“The environment for us is really good.
“We have got really friendly banter and we all know that we are all really good, so maybe we have all got different strengths and within that we can bounce off each other and sort of make each other really well rounded.”
After topping the overall standings in the World Cup, Dickson looked poised to challenge for the world title in Sydney.
But Dickson went home without a kayak cross medal, finishing sixth in the individual and exited in the heats in the head-to-head.
“I didn’t get the results that I wanted,” said Dickson.
“Coming into the World Championships I was maybe one of the favourites in the kayak cross.
“I was pretty happy with my time trial and maybe just didn’t get the tactics right on the head-to-head day but the standard in Penrith was really high again.
“It’s annoying not to have delivered on the highest stage but looking back at the whole year there are good performances that I can take into next year.
“The first step is qualifying for the (British) team at the end of March and if that goes well then trying to peak for those World Championships in Oklahoma.”
Related links
