If you ever want to know the difference between a kayak and canoe for a Canoe Slalom paddler and how to train for them, ask Lena Teunissen.
The Dutch athlete had previously focused almost all of her attention on kayaking where she enjoyed sitting down in her boat carving the water with her double-bladed paddle.
But after missing out on qualification for the Olympics in the women’s kayak single last September, Teunissen was forced to make a huge change to her training to keep her Paris 2024 hopes alive.
Knelt down in her boat with a single-bladed paddle in her hand, Teunissen is not only adapting but flourishing in the canoe.
Teunissen’s decision paid off as she sealed a place in the women’s canoe single for Paris 2024 and will now make her Olympic debut.
“It’s such a long road to get there,” said Teunissen.
“It was a lot of hard work and I am really relieved that it worked out in the end.
“There were a lot of ups and downs for me with some injuries and a long preparation.
“Firstly, I missed the Olympics in K1 and then in the end I found out that I had a chance in C1 so I switched everything to C1 to prepare and it worked out pretty well.
“You need to keep going and keep believing in yourself and enjoy the process.
“As I switched completely to C1 this winter, my goal is to be in the final in Paris.
“I have taken some big steps in C1 so far and am really enjoying it.
“It is totally different as I had to change my endurance programme for C1.
“It is nice to do something different.
“I was paddling C1 before but only twice a week and then I had to switch.
“It was 80 per cent K1, 20 per cent C1 before and now it has switched to 80 per cent C1, 20 per cent K1 so it is very different.”
Teunissen has had to bounce back from injury to achieve her Olympic dream having notably missed out on Tokyo 2020 due to a dislocated shoulder.
“I hurt my shoulder and had to have surgery in 2021 so it has been a long road to get that trust back,” said the 26-year-old, who trains in Augsburg, Germany.
“It’s still not 100 per cent but I am working every day on it and hopefully it stays strong.
“I wasn’t in Tokyo as I missed the selection for that because of the injury.
“It was hard to miss Tokyo but now I can think about Paris where there will be family coming over and, as it is so close to the Netherlands, my friends will be coming as well, so I am really looking forward to it.
“It is an unbelievable feeling to be part of such a big event with so many other sports and other athletes and being there on the start line knowing my friends and family are there.”
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