Tipperary student claims multiple victories at Irish Championships

Second-year Rockwell College student Coline Kearney enjoyed an outstanding weekend at the Irish Open Slalom Championships, securing four victories across the slalom and kayak cross events.

Coline got off to a flying start on Saturday, winning the Junior Women’s Division 2 K1 Slalom event and setting the tone for a highly successful weekend of racing.

Sunday proved even more successful, as Coline won both the Junior Women’s Kayak Cross time trial and the closely contested head-to-head competition. She capped off the weekend with an exceptional final run to claim the U15 Women’s K1 Irish Open Slalom Championship title.

The weekend was made even more memorable by the opportunity to race alongside Irish Olympians Liam Jegou and Michaela Corcoran, as well as some of Ireland’s leading senior and junior international slalom paddlers.

Having taken up slalom kayaking seriously only in the past few months, Coline has made a remarkable start in the discipline, building on her experience in freestyle kayaking.

Coline is also the current Irish Junior Freestyle Champion. During the summer, she achieved an outstanding second-place overall finish in the U15 category at the ICF Freestyle World Cup in Millau, France.

Coline now looks forward to a midterm training camp in Nottingham with the Irish Slalom Academy, followed by the final event of the season at the Sluice in Dublin this December. She will also be preparing for the Irish Freestyle team trials and championships.