ICF Freestyle Committee

22/07/2025

🌍🎧 NEW PODCAST DROP — The Whitewater Line 🎧🌍

We’re excited to announce the launch of The Whitewater Line — a brand-new podcast spotlighting the stories, journeys, and voices of kayakers around the world 🌊

🎙️ Episode 1 is LIVE — featuring Naina Adhikari, and Devi Dada — a rising talents from India and a passionate voices in the freestyle community.

This episode dives into:
🚣 Their powerful journey to the 2025 ICF Freestyle World Championships
Their experience as part of the ICF Development Camp
📚 Learning from world-class coaches
💬 And what it means to represent underrepresented regions on the global stage

The ICF Development Camp is all about opening doors — giving athletes who might not otherwise have the opportunity to train, compete, and grow at this level a real chance to shine 💪

🎧 Available now on all podcast platforms
📲 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-whitewater-line/id1827793795
🔍 Or search The Whitewater Line wherever you listen, Spotify, I❤️radio, Apple Podcasts ..and more

Please share our podcast to your friends. Let’s celebrate the athletes who are shaping the future of freestyle kayaking — one rapid, one story, one paddle stroke at a time 🌊🌟

21/07/2025

One picture, one story

Being Coach is one of my roles which I chosen for myself when I was a teenager. In the begining of high school I already knew where I'll go, what I'll do next. My school mates wanted to be engineers, doctors, lawyers... My path was different. Maybe it's becouse of my father who told me one day: "Tomasz, you are free man. Do what you want, what makes you happy. Find your own path and go".
Besides My Dad noone understood that I'll be coach of completely unknown sport (unknown in Poland) but I was stubborn. Every small success on university or in competition as an athlete was taking me one small step closer to this moment. It was long journey, with many curves but I knew that good things in life are result of hard work. I put myself in 100% into sport. Freestyle Kayaking gave me my platform for development.
I started my International career in 2004. I was 16 y.o. and had to learn many things by myself. I was also learning skills which started to be my tools in being coach. One of them is awareness.
Awerness of where I am, what I need to learn, how to learn it... this is the most important thing for me as an athlete and as a coach. This is what I'm teaching my paddlers. Besides throwing tricks we need to know why we are doing that. It's our phylosophy, becouse sport, lifestyle, training process are important elements of something bigger...
Today I'm proud coach of Austrian Beast.
We started to work together on our road to Europeans nearly 2 years ago. Today Jonas is the World Champion. I'm very happy, satisfied and proud!
This wasn't typical competition that's why I'm super proud of Jonas. He handeled the situation being the best paddler out there and making nearly 100% of our tactics plan. What is great achievment!















europe

19/07/2025

https://www.canoeicf.com/blog-entry/icf-canoe-freestyle-committee-activities-q2-2025

Quarter 2 of 2025 continued the momentum from Q1 with a packed schedule, exciting developments, and major progress across the global freestyle community. Center of Excellence Launch The annual Columbus Cup in Georgia, United States, was a resounding success. Standout performances came from husband-a...

11/07/2025

It was a meaningful return to Plattling, Germany for Dane Jackson, 14 years after his appearance at the 2011 World Championships at the same venue. After dealing with an injury in the lead-up to the event, Dane wasn’t sure if he’d be cleared to compete. Thankfully, he got the go-ahead from his d...

28/06/2025

23/06/2025

ZOSIA TULA CLAIMS SILVER FOR POLAND IN FREESTYLE KAYAKING AT 2025 ICF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Poland’s Zosia Tula delivered an incredible performance at the 2025 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships in Germany, securing the silver medal in the Women’s K1 class and writing a powerful new chapter in her kayaking journey.

“I’m incredibly proud of this silver medal,” said Tula. “It’s my third World Championship medal, but definitely the best one in kayak so far. It’s a huge success for Poland and a very personal achievement for me. Still, I felt like I had more to show during my runs and wished I could have fought a little longer.”

This result marks a milestone not only in Tula’s career but also for Polish canoe freestyle on the world stage. Battling through years of adversity, including treatment for hyperthyroidism, Tula has shown immense resilience.

“The road to this point has been long, and the past few years have been especially tough,” she shared. “I’ve worked hard to improve my freestyle kayaking skills and prepare for this Championship. For over a year and a half now, I’ve been undergoing treatment for hyperthyroidism, which has made training extremely difficult. But I decided not to give up on my greatest passion.”

Her persistence paid off in 2024 when she made history by becoming only the second woman to break 1000 points in a single ICF ride, winning the first edition of the World Cup in Plattling.

“Last year, I proved to myself that it’s possible to balance treatment and low energy with smarter, less frequent, but more focused training,” she said. “This year, I aimed to deliver even better runs, but difficult water level conditions and the early end of the competition made that impossible.”

Even with the competition cut short, Tula stood tall on the podium, celebrating an unforgettable achievement among the world’s best.

“Still, a medal—no matter the color—is a great honor and a huge success. Standing on the podium with two other of the best women in the world who share the same passion is a magical and unforgettable moment.”

Zosia Tula’s silver shines brighter than ever—not just for what it represents in sport, but for the spirit and strength behind it.

22/06/2025

How great is the team camaraderie that goes along with representing your country? 

22/06/2025

Ottilie Robinson-Shaw Claims Multiple World Titles at 2025 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships
Plattling, Germany

Ottilie Robinson-Shaw continues to redefine what’s possible in freestyle canoeing.

At the 2025 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships in Plattling, Germany, Ottilie delivered another unforgettable performance — walking away with multiple world championship gold medals, further cementing her status as one of the sport’s most versatile and decorated athletes.

It’s been a long-term goal for Ottilie to hit the milestone of nine ICF World Championship gold medals — and this year, she achieved exactly that.

“Finishing this world championships with nine ICF World Championship gold medals is… well, it couldn’t have gone any better,” she said shortly after stepping off the podium. “It’s been on my bucket list to get to nine. I didn’t know if it was possible at this world championships alone — I thought I’d have to keep working at it for a few more years. It feels really good to tick that off now.”

Her performances across multiple events showcased not just competitive excellence, but also innovation, consistency, and deep passion for the sport. Whether executing complex combinations or bringing clean, technical moves to the finals under pressure, Ottilie rose to the occasion again and again.

Now, with a landmark achievement under her belt, she’s earned a moment of reflection.

“I’m just going to live in the present for a bit. But I do know what comes next — I’ve been waiting until the end of this event to book flights to Canada. All I want to do is go find some beautiful green waves and paddle with my friends in the sunshine.”

Ottilie Robinson-Shaw leaves Plattling as a multi-time World Champion, a leader in the global freestyle community, and a true ambassador for the sport.

22/06/2025

Tom Dollè Wins Senior Men’s Gold at 2025 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships
Plattling, Germany

Tom Dollè has secured a major career milestone at the 2025 ICF Canoe Freestyle World Championships — claiming the Senior Men’s K1 World Champion title in Plattling, Germany.

Capping off a dominant performance, Tom walks away from the championships with two medals: one in Senior K1 and another in C1 — a remarkable achievement on one of the sport’s biggest stages.

“I’m super stoked to come back home with two medals — one for Kayak Senior and one for C1. It’s a spot that means a lot to me, especially because I won the 2016 event there, which was my first competition. I’m super stoked to bring these two medals back home.”

The win in Plattling carries extra meaning for Tom, who has a long history with the iconic whitewater venue. His connection to the feature and his experience paid off when it mattered most, delivering a confident, creative performance that earned him the top spot on the podium.

A huge congratulations to Tom Dollè — 2025 Senior Men’s World Champion and double medalist at this year’s championships.