For most athletes, a World Championships venue is somewhere new to learn but for Ian Gaudet, he couldn’t be closer to home.
The 22-year-old Nova Scotian native has spent more than half his life training on the waters that is hosting the International Canoe Federation Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships.
Now, after years of chasing international success around the world, he has the rare opportunity to compete for a world title on the lake where his journey began.
"It's absolutely amazing to be racing here," said Gaudet.
"We've got the home crowd advantage. We can hear everyone cheering, and I've got my family and friends coming down to watch me race."
For Gaudet, every stretch of the course carries memories.
He has been paddling on the lake for around 12 years, long before he represented Canada on the international stage.
"We used to go up to the cove as kids when we were doing dragon boat. We'd jump out into the water," he said.
Those childhood summers have grown into a career that has already delivered memorable moments, but racing in Halifax offers something no overseas event can replicate.
"You could look at it either way," he said.
For most of his career, loved ones have spent late nights and early hours tuning into his races via livestream, but this week they sit on the sidelines.
"There's pressure with everyone watching, but it definitely makes me more excited to show my friends and family what I can do after all these years of them watching me through a screen. It's great they can come down to the lake and be here."
That connection between athlete, community and venue is what makes this World Championships especially meaningful for Halifax.
Canoe Sprint has long been woven into the fabric of the city, with generations of paddlers taking to the water from a young age.
"Paddling is such an integral part of the Dartmouth community culture and identity," said Gaudet.
"Everybody in the local area has a connection to the sport or the lake. It's truly a part of every kid's childhood."
Now, one of those local kids has returned as one of Canada's leading U23 paddlers, hoping to create another chapter on familiar water.
And while Gaudet has already experienced success on the international stage, including standing atop the podium at the 2023 Pan American Games, he knows where a home world medal would rank.
"If I won a medal here, it would shoot right to the top of the rank," he said.
"I've had some great experiences in my career, but to win here, it would definitely be the best."
For the Halifax native, the World Championships are more than another international competition.
It’s a chance to race in front of the people who watched him grow from a child messing around in the water after practice, into an athlete representing Canada on the very same water.
For Gaudet, there is no place like home.
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