Callum displays his extreme skill in Italy
Aberfeldy ace enjoys memorable world champs
The buzz and adrenaline of paddling through the water at pace keeps Callum MacEachen coming back for more.
And, after competing in the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom Junior and U23 World Championships, the Aberfeldy ace has sights set on further success.
Callum was racing in the unique discipline of extreme slalom in Ivrea, Italy and worked his way to the quarter final stage of the event.
The former Breadalbane Academy student admits it’s a discipline still on the rise but one packed full of excitement and drama.
Action begins with paddlers being raised up and dropped into the water, before bearings are found and racing commences.
“Extreme slalom is an exciting new mix of canoe slalom and the equivalent ski and snowboard cross events,” explained Breadalbane Canoe Club member Callum.
“Four paddlers race head to head down a whitewater course while navigating a sequence of poles suspended above the water.
“Racing extreme slalom is, to me, one of the biggest rushes you can get from kayaking.
“From the overwhelming suspense sitting on the start ramp to the sheer carnage that can happen on the course and the final sprint to the finish, there is never a dull moment.
“I can’t wait to see what the future has in store as the sport grows and blossoms to its full potential.
“Hopefully one day the spectacle of the discipline will be able to capture the imagination of the general public and spread our passion for kayaking.”
Callum’s momentum was stalled during the World Championships due to a severe thunderstorm taking grip between heats and the quarter final.
But the 18-year-old was proud of his performance and said: “The sport is quite unpredictable by nature and as such I feel I performed well, within the limits of what I could control.
“Midway through the men’s extreme slalom event a thunderstorm broke out, causing the event organisers to halt the competition due to the risk of lightning for those on the water.
“As the conditions worsened and the storm persisted the remainder of the races were postponed until the end of the championships.
“As this happened shortly after my heats race, I had a full two days to wait until racing in the quarter final.
“If not for the storm I feel I could have better carried my momentum from the heats into the quarter final.
“As the event is so new with little funding, British Canoeing were unable to provide me with a coach at the event.
“That could have had a significant impact on my performance.”
The event was extra special for Callum as close friend Pretam Gurung, who also attended Breadalbane Academy, qualified for the worlds too.
He said: “In April I travelled down to the Lee Valley Olympic Whitewater Course near London to compete in the UK’s first extreme slalom selection event.
“The selection series consisted of three race events over two days, with the results of each race going into a points table to determine the overall results.
“Hard fought racing qualified me alongside my close friend and training partner Pretam Gurung as the 2018 Great Britain Junior Extreme Canoe Slalom team.
“As a result we were invited to compete at the 2018 ICF Canoe Slalom Junior and U23 World Championships in Ivrea, Italy.
“Prior to selection for the GB team and then in preparation for the worlds our coach, Stephen Macdonald, adapted Callum MacEachen tackles the testing course in Ivrea Pretam and I’s training to accommodate the different requirements of the discipline.
“It was a great honour to get to represent Great Britain on the world stage and an event I’ll never forget.
“I have trained and competed in regular canoe slalom with Breadalbane Canoe Club since I was 10.
“I currently compete in the Premier Division and have followed extreme slalom since it was first added as a fun bonus on the end of senior international slalom events.”
The future in the sport is an exciting one and Callum concluded: “As there are no more extreme slalom events for the rest of the year, I am continuing to train so that next year I can come back fast and strong enough to contend for the U23 team.
“The rapidly growing popularity of the sport shows great potential for its growth in the future so longer term I hope to keep at the top of my game and pushing the boundaries as the discipline develops.”