Drobot’s gold glimmers in Australia’s swag of junior World Champs medals

The Australian team enjoyed a successful finals run at the 2025 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships over the weekend, collecting gold, silver and bronze medals

Continuing her streak of podium performances from the senior Sprint World Cups earlier this year, New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete, Natalia Drobot, was dominant again as she paddled her way to another gold medal in the U23 K1 500. 

“I was really stoked with how I put my semi final together, and getting a PB of under 1.50 which was a goal for the season, is something I am really proud of,” said Drobot. 

“The PB in the semi gave me quite a lot of confidence leading into the final and I knew I just needed to replicate my race plan again. 

“Crossing the line, it was a mix of relief of being able to finish the race and it was also nice to know that all the hard work I’ve put in over the years has paid off. 

“My performances at the World Cups and this weekend have given me quite a bit of confidence just knowing that I am able to execute race plans under pressure, especially leading into the senior World Championships in Milan. 

“I think it is easy to execute them when you’re the underdog but when it comes to the big regattas, and when you’ve already made a name for yourself, it becomes a bit more stressful and being able to do that gives me a very big confidence boost leading into the senior World Championships in Milan in August.”

Also among the medal winners was Paris 2024 Olympic Silver Medalist Pierre van der Westhuyzen who came away with the bronze medal in the U23 K1 500. 

“To be a bronze medalist at the U23 World Championships is definitely something that I don’t take lightly,” van der Westhuyzen said. 

“I was super happy to go out there and put on a performance that led me to the medals and then really happy to come away with something this weekend. 

“For me personally, the whole weekend I have been racing out hard on that front 300m and in the final, there were a couple of factors that came into play which changed my race plan and how I went but still happy with how it went.”

Australia’s U23 K4 500 Women’s team – Samantha Lourey, Jasmine Locke, Jasmine Rayward and Alyssa Bailey – showcased their best performance in the final, picking up a silver medal to round out Australia’s medal tally. 

“It was so exciting, we drew lane 1 after our semi and we knew we felt good so we just put everything on the line and we came out with a silver medal which we were all stoked about,” Locke said. 

“Everything was on fire on those last 100m, I just had my eyes on those finishing buoys and just kept saying ‘get to the line’.

“It was the best feeling in the world to finally cross that line, it would’ve sounded like we won the gold medal but that’s how it felt for us.

“It’s an absolute honour to get to race with these girls and for Team Australia and I will hold onto that forever.” 

For images of medal winners and Australian athletes – click here 

For full results from the 2025 ICF Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships, click here. 

Paddle Australia