Canoe Slalom NZ

GENERAL MANAGER - Pandora Fruean

Pandora brings over two decades of experience spanning grassroots and elite sports, coupled with a background in legal operations. She has also worked across a selection of major events including London Olympics, World Masters Games, FIFA, FIBA and Rugby World Cups. She is excited about leading Canoe Slalom NZ into its Paris 2024 cycle, supporting its athletes and coaches, developing effective working relationships with key stakeholders to grow participation and increase the success of Canoe Slalom on the international stage.

Michal Smolen - High Performance Coach (Podium Elite)

Michal is a Polish-American slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2008 for the United States. Smolen's first major victory came at the 2014 Under 23 World Championship in Penrith where he won gold in the K1 event. He won a bronze medal in the K1 event at the 2015 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in London finished 12th in the K1 event at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He qualified to represent the United States again at the delayed 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where he finished 5th in the K1 event.

After Tokyo, Michal decided to take a break from athlete life and joined CSNZ as its High Performance Podium Elite coach for Luuka Jones and Finn Butcher for the Paris 2024 Olympic cycle. Michal brings elite athlete experience and a passion for continuous learning to the role.