Lucien gave up everything for Australia . . . he’ll give more at world champs

When Lucien Delfour travelled to Australia as a member of the French team that competed at the 2007 Youth Olympics in Sydney, he couldn’t have imagined it would change his life . . .  and the national colours he’d wear in international competitions.

Delfour, a New South Wales Institute of Sport scholarship athlete, fell head over heels in love with the Australian lifestyle, and three years after his appearance in France’s distinctive tricolours at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium he packed his bags and moved Down Under.  

However, he quickly realised the patience that’s needed to thrive in canoe slalom was easily matched by the wait for his immigration paperwork to be rubberstamped by the Department of Immigration.

“I moved to Australia permanently in 2010 and then later I became a citizen in 2014,” he said. “It was quite a long process. Immigration in Australia is not that easy, but we just had to be patient. It’s about applying for the visa and then just essentially just waiting.

“I actually came here in Australia for the first time in 2007 for the Youth Olympics and I really, really fell in love with the course. I didn’t move to Australia just for the course . . . [but] it was one of the reasons.

“I absolutely loved the place, especially Sydney . .  it absolutely blew my mind. But even to this day, Penrith is my favourite course. “

Delfour shared his passion for paddling in the New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS)-produced Whitewater Warriors, a docuseries on the Institute’s scholarship holders selected for the 2025 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships which will be contested at the Penrith Whitewater Stadium from 29 September to 4 October.

Not surprisingly, Delfour is thrilled his home course will host the championships and the two-time Olympian’s advice to his competitors from overseas is that they’ll be paddling on an ‘unforgiving’ course.

“Paddling on Penrith is quite special,” he said. “It requires a good level of fitness, even on a daily basis. Actually, it’s one of the most frustrating things when you’re out of fitness and you jump back on the water, especially here, you feel so slow, so unfit. For us, fitness is quite important.

“Technically, we have to be sharp. It’s a course that is not the hardest course, I would say, but it’s still quite unforgiving. You will know straight away if you’re doing the wrong thing.”

Delfour, who was a finalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, said the ebb and flow of canoe slalom forces athletes to ask tough questions of themselves, but he conceded in recent times his most burning one reflects his stage of life.

“So far, the toughest question I’ve had to ask myself is, ‘do I keep going?’ he conceded.  “That’s because I’m 36 now, and obviously not that young anymore. I’m getting to that stage.

“To keep myself motivated, I need goals, and I need to have the results in mind. Otherwise, it becomes very easy to just jump on the water and then become frustrated or unmotivated and lose the focus.

He is thrilled to think the world championships will expose a new generation of Aussies to his sporting passion, and he’s told them to expect bucketloads of fun  . . . and drama.

“If you come to a slalom race for the first time, I think you should expect a fun race. You should expect a bit of drama,” he enthused. “It’s pretty hard to get a faultless run, so you will see a bit of drama. And you should expect a good atmosphere.

“And definitely cheer for everyone, not just the people from your own nationality. That’s what the sport is about, and you will see this on the biggest event, people will cheer for everyone.”

“It’s very special to have the World Championships here in Penrith . . . first time in 20 years [since the last time it hosted the championships] and obviously first time for me.

“It’s quite rare for paddlers in general to have the World Championships at home. So obviously for us it’s a huge advantage. We live here; we train here every day – so fingers crossed it’ll give us an advantage.

Daniel Lane, NSWIS