Sieders & Littlehales selected in Australia’s first Paralympic Canoe Team

NSWIS rising stars Colin Sieders and Dylan Littlehales have been given the honour of chasing the first Paralympic medals in the sport of canoe during Rio 2016, after the Australian Paralympic Committee announced the team of six today.

With Para-Canoe appearing at the Paralympic Games for the first time, leading the Australian charge will be war veteran and reigning world champion Curtis McGrath and 2015 world champion Amanda Reynolds, whilst emerging talents such as Littlehales, Sieders, Susan Seipel and Jocelyn Nuemuller complete the formidable team.

The Australian Paralympic Committee (APC) announced the fresh-faced team at Varsity Lakes Sportshouse on the Gold Coast today, during one of the team’s final training camps on home soil before the Games begin on September 7.

Currently ranked as one of world’s top nations in the sport, Australia has won 16 world championship medals – including 7 gold, 4 silver and 5 bronze – since the discipline was first introduced to the World Championships in 2010.  

Kate McLoughlin, Chef de Mission of the 2016 Australian Paralympic Team, is hoping these strong international results continue for Australia at the sport’s new pinnacle event.

“Since Para-canoe was announced as part of the Rio 2016 Paralympic programme three years ago, Australia has proved itself to be a leader in the sport,” McLoughlin said.

“To have qualified six athletes for Rio is a true testament to the hard work Australian Canoeing has put into developing the national program over the past few years in partnership with the APC.

“We have a young team, dedicated to showing the world what they are capable of. All six are in strong form and training exceptionally hard, and no doubt their results will put the sport into the spotlight in Australia, for it to continue developing at an accelerated pace.” 

Commenting on the sport making its debut at the Paralympic Games, Reynolds said she is looking forward to the Australian team showcasing what they can do on the water.

“It is an amazing achievement for canoe to become a sport in the Paralympics, and it will be a great opportunity to show Australia and the world what we can accomplish in the sport.

“We have an awesome team who have worked together over the past few years to get to where we are now. I’m excited to see the entire team perform at Rio.”

The Rio Paralympic Games begin on 7 September through to 18 September, 2016.

The 2016 Australian Paralympic Canoe:

• Colin Sieders (NSW)

• Curtis McGrath (QLD)

• Susan Seipel (QLD)

• Amanda Reynolds (VIC)

• Dylan Littlehales (NSW)

• Jocelyn Neumueller (SA)