Luuka Jones

Luuka Jones (born 18 October 1988) is a New Zealand slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2006.[1]

Luuka Jones
Jones at the 2019 Canoe Slalom World Championships
Personal information
NationalityNew Zealand
Born (1988-10-18) 18 October 1988
Tauranga, New Zealand
Height1.72 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
CountryNew Zealand
SportCanoe slalom
Event(s)K1, C1
ClubCanoe Slalom Bay of Plenty
Medal record
Representing  New Zealand
Olympic Games
2016 Rio de JaneiroK1
World Championships
2019 La Seu d'UrgellK1
Updated on 28 September 2016.

Early life

Jones was born in Tauranga in 1988.[2] Her mother was a fan of the British actress Audrey Hepburn and Luuka Jones was named after Hepburn's second son, Luca Dotti.[3] Her father is Rod Jones and she has three sisters.[4] She was brought up adjacent to the Wairoa River. She took up kayaking at age ten and received lessons from Waimarino Adventure Park nearby.[3] She went to Otumoetai Intermediate where in Year Seven, she set her goal to win an Olympic medal.[5][6]

Canoeing career

Jones started competing in 2003 at age 14.[3] In preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, she moved to England to train with the British team.[3] She was the first female canoe slalom paddler to represent New Zealand at the 2008 Olympic Games;[3] she competed in the K1 event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she finished last in 21st position, thus being eliminated in the heats.[5] At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London she qualified for the semi-finals of the K1 event where she finished in 14th place. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro she won a silver medal in the K1 event.[7] She also won a bronze medal in the K1 event at the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in La Seu d'Urgell.

She is the current national champion and ranked number one in New Zealand.

World Cup individual podiums
Season Date Venue Position Event
20091 February 2009Mangahao2ndK11
201922 June 2019Bratislava2ndK1
1 Oceania Championship counting for World Cup points

Personal life

Jones moved to England at age 17 to further her canoe career[4] and divides her time between Nottingham and New Zealand, spending the Northern Hemisphere based in Europe where most of the competitions are held.[8] She studies business extramurally at Massey University, majoring in communication.[3][9] She receives sponsorship from businesses based in Tauranga.[9] Apart from canoe, Jones enjoys surfing, mountain biking and making sushi.[3][6]

References
  1. "Profile and results". CanoeSlalom.net. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  2. "Profile and results". Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
  3. "Rio Olympics 2016: 10 things to know about Olympic silver medallist Luuka Jones". The New Zealand Herald. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  4. Keber, Ruth (12 August 2016). "Luuka Jones: Father's joy at Luuka's silver lining". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  5. "Luuka Jones' 20-year dream becomes reality with Olympic silver in canoe slalom". Stuff.co.nz. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  6. Cowley, Sarah. "FAST: Female Athletes Set to Triumph....Luuka Jones". sarahcowley.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  7. "Rio Olympics 2016: Silver medal for Luuka Jones". The New Zealand Herald. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  8. "Talk Time with NZ Canoe Slalam Athlete Luuka Jones". Megs & Soph. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
  9. "Luuka Jones gets down to business". Massey University. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
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