DANIEL’S OLYMPIC DREAM
For Palm Beach Currumbin student and rising kayak star Daniel Hardwick, the next step on the path to his Olympic dream lies in Slovakia YOU’RE never too young to go after your passion and start living your dream — that’s the message Gold Coast student Daniel Hardwick wants to get out there.
The Palm Beach Currumbin High student plans to show the world what he’s made of by competing in the 2019 Olympic Hopes Regatta this September in Slovakia.
In addition to representing Australia in the Olympic Hopes Regatta, Daniel will represent Australia in the upcoming 2019 Asia Pacific Sprint Cup in May.
He will be joined by fellow PBC students Carter Broadhurst-Hill (Year 12) and
Chaise Richardson (Year 11).
Daniel will represent Australia as the youngest member of the Australian team at the Olympic Hopes Regatta and with a gold and two silver medals under his belt from National Championship A grade events, it’s no surprise that he was hand-picked to represent us in the regatta.
“I was so shocked and amazed because I’m the youngest in the group of the youngest age division,” responded Daniel on how he felt when he was selected to represent Australia in the Olympic Hopes Regatta.
“Being in the younger age group and competing in Olympic Hopes, I’m so fortunate that I have been selected out of the very few to represent Australia.”
The Olympic Hopes Regatta is recognised as one of the top International canoe sprint events for young athletes. The event will see some of the best young sprint paddlers in the schooling.
“I got into kayaking through surf life saving,” says Daniel.
“I was thinking ahead for skills and so I started getting into kayaking, learning techniques and it just went from there. I started getting Championships, Daniel competed and medalled at championship events such as the Queensland State Championships (January), the NSW State Sprint Sport Champions (January) and the Grand Prix 2 (February). Furthermore, Daniel competed in seven events and achieved two golds and three silvers in team and individual events.
“My ultimate goal in kayaking is to progress to competing in an Olympic event … whether it be a team race or an individual race, either one would achieve my goal. Being chosen to compete internationally is a big progression to my goal and it will be many years before I one day fulfil the ultimate goal of going to the Olympics.”
So come on Australia, let’s back our youngest kayaker in his upcoming competitions and support him all the way to the Olympics.