Liam SMEDLEY (CAN)

CACanada
Age:
29 years
Languages:
English, French
Federation:
CANOE KAYAK CANADA

Biography

Further Personal Information

NICKNAME
Big Cat
OTHER SOCIAL MEDIA
https://vimeo.com/smedleycanoe
PLACE OF RESIDENCE
Ottawa, Ontario
OCCUPATION
Student
WHEN/WHERE DID YOU START CANOEING/ KAYAKING?
2003 on the Ottawa river in my very own Dagger Blast!
REASON FOR TAKING UP THE SPORT
Runs in the family. My parents are avid whitewater canoeists, and our mother a former canoe slalom competitor in Canada. My older brother, Cameron, and Sister, Alison, picked up the sport in 2004 and I followed suit!
HOBBIES
Cross-country skiing, maple syrup brewing, canoe tripping.
CLUB
Ottawa River Runners (ORR)
NATIONALITY OF YOUR COACH
Canadian, Polish
NATIONALITY OF YOUR COACH
Michal Staniszewski
SINCE WHEN HAVE YOU BEEN COACHED BY HIM/ HER?
2013
SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT YEAR
2009
SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT COUNTRY
Canada
SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT COMPETITION
Pan-American Championships
SENIOR INTERNATIONAL DEBUT LOCATION
Kananaskis, Alberta
MEMORABLE SPORTING ACHIEVEMENT
Winning the Oceania Open 2015 after shoulder surgery. This was my first race back into the competitive circuit and it was a phenomenal feeling to take away a win after enduring 4 months of rehab following surgery.
PREFERRED POSITION / STANCE / STYLE / TECHNIQUE
Left side paddling
TRAINING PARTNER(S)
Cameron Smedley, Ben Hayward
SUPERSTITIONS/ RITUALS/ BELIEFS
Beers at the Rochester after a trip [Rochester]
SPORTING PHILOSOPHY/ MOTTO
Paddle faster, I hear banjo music
FAVOURITE PADDLING COURSE
Liptovsky Mikulas
FAVOURITE FOOD
All breakfast food
FAVOURITE MUSIC
90's Rap
AMBITIONS
Qualify for a world Cup Final, and U23 World Championships Final. Practice as an engineer & architect.
OTHER INFORMATION
Canoe Kayak Canada - Whitewater Assistant Athlete Representative.
SPORTING RELATIVES
Cameron Smedley, Brother and Pan-American Games Silver Medalist