A decade ago, a wide-eyed, young Katie Vincent arrived at Milan’s Idroscalo Regatta Course looking to catch a glimpse of her heroes.
Back then, the Canadian paddler was just 19 years old and poised to compete at her first International Canoe Federation Canoe Sprint World Championships.
At that point in her career, simply sharing the same stage as the sport’s biggest names was the standout experience for Vincent.
Looking back, Vincent fondly remembers seeing New Zealand’s Lisa Carrington in action for the first time and watching Mark de Jonge strike gold for Canada in the men’s kayak single 200m.
“When it's your first World Championships and you're 19 years old, you get to see everybody for the first time,” said Vincent.
“I remember watching Lisa's races, even if I had to go out of my way because I could finally get to see her live.
“I was just trying to take it all in. I was so excited to see so many incredible athletes.
“Mark de Jonge defended his title that year, so I remember that was really cool to watch that and to see how high the level is.
“That was a qualifier for the Olympic Games as well so there was a lot of people bringing their A games.
“I learned a lot just from being a part of that team, seeing that level and knowing that in three to four years’ time that was going to be me in that situation, trying to qualify for an Olympic Games.
“That was a big learning experience.”
Fast forward 10 years, Vincent will be one of the star attractions at the World Championships in Milan.
Vincent will head to the Idroscalo Regatta Course as the reigning Olympic champion in the women’s canoe single 200m and a multiple world gold medallist.
“I'm really excited for Milan,” said the 29-year-old.
“This is kind of like a full circle moment for me going back there.
“It’s kind of crazy when you think about your first World Championships and that was mine.
“I think back to who I was and the level I was at and how much my career has come on since then to the Olympics and many World Championships in between that.
“So I'm just excited to go back.
“It’s going to be a little bit nostalgic and an amazing week as well.”
After the intensity of competing in two Olympic Games in the space of three years with Tokyo in 2021 and Paris in 2024, Vincent is looking to take a different approach in 2025.
“I think I've got enough experience and enough credibility that I can kind of take a bit more of a relaxed approach and just enjoy the racing,” said Vincent.
“We do this sport because we love it, and we love everybody that's around us.
“We’re just putting down the building the blocks for the future this year.”
Vincent is set to compete in the women’s C1 200m, women’s C1 500m and women’s C1 5000m and team up with Zoe Wojtyk in the women’s canoe double 500m.
“I think it's always the goal to try and win,” said Vincent.
“I don't think that there's a ton of pressure this year to do anything amazing.
“But we still want to be competitive, and we still want to be in the mix.
“So I'd like to think that we could still be in the top five or top three.
“I don't think we've lost that much but we just want to make sure we're still in the mix and competitive and still at a good pace that we can keep being at the forefront for the next couple of years.”
View this post on Instagram
Vincent is a three-time Olympic medallist, winning bronze at Tokyo 2020 and gold and bronze at Paris 2024.
She now has the opportunity to star at her third Olympic Games as she begins her journey to Los Angeles 2028.
“It’s really exciting and I think a lot of Canadians are going to be excited about it,” said Vincent.
“It’s as close to a home Games as we could get.
“I think there's going to be a lot of positive momentum.
“We're going to have an incredible team.
“I think that we're making the right moves now to set ourselves up well for LA.
“I'm excited to continue on this journey and to keep pushing towards LA and just continue to have fun and enjoy it.
“The more we can do that, the better we can race and that’s a big part of it for me.
“Our C1 podium in Paris was Canada, United States and Cuba so all North American countries, which is really cool.
“I just hope our sport gets the attention that it deserves leading into this.
“It's going to be a great moment for our sport and it's just going be an incredible for us.”
Full coverage of the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships can be viewed on the Planet Canoe YouTube channel.
Join Planet Canoe's YouTube channel for €9.99 per month to unlock members-only content and features
Read YouTube's frequently asked questions for more details.
Related links
