Drobot’s hunger, grit and class has world on notice

One of the rising stars of Australian sport, canoe sprint’s Natalia Drobot, credits the traits she developed from participating in a variety of sports for galvanising her for the rigours and demands of kayaking.

The 21-year-old who made a huge statement by winning her first  individual gold medal at last weekend’s world cup in Hungry, competed in a variety of sports before finding her calling as a 13-year-old while paddling on the  Central Coast’s Avoca Lake.

“I was really involved in surf lifesaving with Avoca Beach Surf Lifesaving Club,” Drobot recalled in an interview with Paddle Australia. “I was moving onto the ski, and I thought ‘this looks so amazing.’

“It involved so many components: you had strength, power, balance and coordination and also [it appealed to] my love for speed as I used to be a gymnast, and athletics track runner and it involved everything. It was amazing.”

The gold medal Drobot secured in Hungary four days ago not only glitters brightly amid the slew of trophies she’s brought home over, but it has given her goal of qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games a flying start because this year’s world cups form an important part of the qualification process.

It also adds extra lustre to her achievements during a spectacular 2024/25 season which included:

• Sweeping last November’s  Paddle Australia’s Awards dinner; taking home the crown as the sport’s Overall Paddler of the Year, Paddle of the Year (canoe sprint), and joining Kailey Harlen as one half of the Team of the Year.
• Winning a mixture of gold (with Harlen), silver and bronze medals at that season’s ICF Canoe Sprint World Cups in Hungary and Poland
• Striking gold at the 2025 ICF Junior & U23 Canoe Sprint Championships
•  Taking two silvers at the ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Championships in Milan before celebrating gold at the 2026 Grand Prix II in Sydney earlier this year.

However, the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship holder’s individual gold medal at last weekend’s 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint World Cup in Szeged, Hungary has excited many – including Jake Michael, Head Coach of NSWIS’s Canoe Sprint Program – in the race for Australia to secure berths at LA2028.

Michael (photographed above with Drobot in 2022) recalls an athlete who arrived at NSWIS’s canoe sprint hub at Narrabeen five years ago with tremendous purpose, drive and grit. He’s excited to see her blossom into a genuine world beater.

“She is an athlete who strives to be better,” he said. “Natalia wants to be the best. She was 17, in her HSC year when she joined the NSWIS program and there was a lot of potential. She had the tenacity, the drive and strong determination to be successful – and after tasting some early success she wanted more and more.  

“You can see that every time she races. She wants to be better. She wants to be the best, and she did such a great job at the last world cup.”

Michael also noted that Drobot is thriving at the Paddle Australia Canoe Sprint National Training Centre on the Gold Coast, suggesting the cohort she trains alongside is also helping to draw the best out of her.

“Natalia is with a strong group of girls – a strong group of NSWIS girls – Ella Beere, Kailey Harlen [photographed below with Drobot] and Olivia Clues  . . . they’re all members of the senior group,” said Michael.

“I see Natalia as one of those athletes who makes the most of their opportunities. I also admire that when she missed out on going to Paris with the Olympic team,  she had two options. The first was to treat it as a dampener and retreat. The second was to do what she’s done – excel.

“Looking back, Paris just wasn’t her time. There were opportunities for other girls to be in that position and developing as athletes. She had to work out what she needed, and two years on she is mastering her craft . . . she’s really out there, working hard and putting herself forward.”

“I was a small part [of her progress] when she was at NSWIS. She’s in the National Team now and working with the national coaches, but what I’d like for her leading into Los Angeles – and beyond – is that she enjoys what she’s doing and remains consistent.

“She definitely has the potential, and hopefully she has the strong belief in herself to keep pushing that over the next years.”

Drobot has another opportunity to make her mark when the second world cup of 2026 is contested in Brandenburg, Germany from 14-17 May.

“I’m looking forward to being able to paddle my heart out at a few different venues this year,” she said via Paddle Australia from the Aussie team’s base in Europe.

“I’m looking forward to racing across K1, K2 and K4. I love the team boats and love being able to just put it all out there and not having to think as much and just work hard. It’ll be fun and I think it’s a great experience.”

Drobot also highlighted the importance of the 2026 season in laying the foundations for LA2028.

“I think it’s really important. It’s such a big stepping stone for all the teams,” she said. “Especially for us girls, it’s about getting into new boats and new combinations, but also making sure we find our groove and become confident in our abilities.”

Daniel Lane, NSWIS