Paddle Australia Sprint and Para Canoe Teams Continue World Cup Campaign in Montreal

Paddle Australia’s Canoe Sprint and Para Canoe team will continue its 2026 international campaign this week, with the third ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Cup taking place in Montreal, Canada from 9-12 July.

The event marks an important step in the season as Australia’s athletes continue building towards the 2026 ICF Canoe Sprint & Paracanoe World Championships in Poznan, Poland, while laying foundations for the journey towards LA2028.

The Australian team have claimed 12 medals across the first two World Cups of the season, including five gold medal-winning performances by Tom Green, Natalia Drobot (New South Wales Institute of Sport, NSWIS), Jean van der Westhuyzen, Ben Sainsbury and Curtis McGrath.

NSWIS Olympian Ella Beere, who won an individual silver medal at World Cup 2 in Germany, said she is excited for the challenge ahead after taking time away from racing last year.

“I’m excited to be back. Having the year off last year was probably the best thing I could have done and it’s really made me feel refreshed,” Beere said.

Beere will contest the women’s K4 500 and K2 500 in Montreal as she embraces some new racing opportunities.

“I think we can go out and see what we can do, they’re events we haven’t had a lot of experience in and I think that’s really good for development,” she said.

“Sometimes when you’re less prepared and less certain, it puts you in a mindset where you become more curious and just focus on racing.”

Paris 2024 Paralympic silver medalist Dylan Littlehales (NSWIS) will head to the international start line for the first time this season. He is looking forward to returning to international competition in the KL3 200m after balancing his preparation alongside university commitments and his wedding.

“I’m most looking forward to Montreal,” Littlehales said.

“It’s been a little challenging balancing sport with university, but I’ve had great support around me.

“I’m looking to stay around the podiums this year while trying some different things in training and building towards how we approach LA.”

The Montreal World Cup will bring together the world’s leading sprint and Para canoe athletes as Australia continues an important year of development and international competition.

Racing gets underway on Thursday 9 July from 11pm AEST. Find the competition schedule and results here.