Experienced US Olympian Michal Smolen is set to join the coaching team at Canoe Slalom NZ. Michal represented Team USA at two Olympic games, placing 5th in the K1 men in Tokyo and won a bronze medal at the 2015 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships.

Smolen, who has competed at the international level since 2008 for the United States, has been coached by his father Rafal Smolen, a well-respected coach on the circuit who also represented Poland in the sport.

CSNZ began the recruitment process in December last year and the athletes to be coached have been a key part of the process. “We were very impressed with the quantity and quality of coaches who applied for this role” says GM Pandora Fruean,  “being a key hire for this next Olympic cycle it was important we had a collaborative and robust process around it, and we believe Michal will add value to the already talented HP coaching team we have with Campbell Walsh and Mike Dawson”.

Having visited New Zealand on numerous occasions and already familiar with the program and its athletes, Smolen saw the coaching role as a great opportunity to transition into coaching and work with athletes and a program he admires.  “I’m thrilled to begin working as the new Podium Elite coach for Canoe Slalom New Zealand. The program currently has many talented athletes who have shown such great improvement over the last few years. My mission will be to continue that momentum and help New Zealand reach success at the Paris 2024 Games in both canoe and extreme slalom”.

Experienced Canoe Slalom Olympian Luuka Jones, who is aiming for her 5^th Olympic appearance, has made some significantt changes, including forming a training partnership with K1/Extreme elite athlete Finn Butcher.  “I believe that Michal will be an asset to our program and bring in a different perspective to our training and technical development. He is the sort of person who will really pay attention to detail and will do everything he can to help Finn and I to perform on the world stage.  I would like to thank my former coach Campbell Walsh, who I have worked with since 2013. In my time working with Campbell, I have stood on the podium at the Olympic Games, World Championships and World Cups and been in the final at all but one of my pinnacle events since 2014 I really appreciate his hard work and dedication to helping me perform on the world stage”.

After a successful 2021 international season with two ICF podium finishes in K1, and Extreme slalom elite athlete Finn Butcher is aiming for his first Olympic appearance in Paris.  “I am really excited to start working with Michal, he impressed me with his enthusiasm and willingness to learn about us and our ways of doing things. He has already built good relationships with our current and past coaches, which will allow him to hit the ground running and continue to build on the good work and philosophies we have already established”.

Smolen starts his role on 1 April and will initially be internationally based with the athletes for the upcoming International Canoe Federation canoe slalom racing season.

Article added: Monday 21 March 2022