Kayaking a bond for Bailey twins

When the Bailey sisters first jumped into a kayak it was to escape the claustrophobia of the Covid-19 pandemic.

These days every pre-dawn stroke propels them towards July’s Under-23 World Championships in Bulgaria and the only thing they’re trying to outpace is each other.

The hardy souls that use our waterways in the early hours must do a double-take when they see identical twins Claudia and Alyssa stream past, matching each other stroke for stroke.

Claudia has been there before but selection in the Australian team is a first for Alyssa and the pair join Paris Olympic squad members Jean and Pierre van der Westhuyzen as Bond University siblings representing Australia on the world stage.

The 19-year-olds’ journeys to kayaking originally started in surf life saving. They grew up around the Mermaid Surf Life Saving Club before making the transition to the starstudded Northcliffe Club when things started to become more serious at the age of 14.

It was Northcliffe coach Naomi Flood, an Olympic kayaker and national surf champion, who inspired the young duo to seriously pursue the sport of paddling.

“Naomi believed in us from the start,” Claudia said.

Claudia, a former World Surf Life Saving champion, converted her success to kayaking at the 2022 Canoe Sprint Championships winning four gold, three silver, and a bronze.

She is now full-time into kayaking while Alyssa is yet to hang up the Northcliffe togs.

The twins are to compete at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria from July 17-21.