Country New Zealand Role Olympic athlete Sport Canoe slalom Height 1.72 m | Event(s) K-1 Weight 63 kg Name Luuka Jones | |
 | ||
Born 18 October 1988 (age 36) ( 1988-10-18 ) | ||
Be the Inspiration: Luuka Jones
Luuka Jones (born 18 October 1988) is a New Zealand slalom canoeist who has competed since 2006.
Contents
- Be the Inspiration Luuka Jones
- Luuka jones tacen world cup semi 2013
- Private life
- Canoe career
- References
Luuka jones tacen world cup semi 2013
Private life
Jones was born in Tauranga in 1988. Her mother was a fan of the British actress Audrey Hepburn and Luuka Jones was named for Hepburn's second son, Luca Dotti. Her father is Rod Jones and she has three sisters. She was brought up adjacent to the Wairoa River. She took up kayaking at age ten and received lessons from Waimarino Adventure Park nearby. She went to Otumoetai Intermediate where in Year Seven, she set her goal to win an Olympic medal. She moved to England at age 17 to further her canoe career and divides her time between Nottingham and New Zealand, spending the Northern Hemisphere based in Europe where most of the competitions are held. She studies business extramurally at Massey University, majoring in communication. She receives sponsorship from businesses based in Tauranga. Apart from canoe, Jones enjoys surfing, mountain biking and making sushi.
Canoe career
She started competing in 2003 at age 14. In preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, she moved to England to train with the British team. She was the first female canoe slalom paddler to represent New Zealand at the 2008 Olympic Games; she competed in the K1 event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she finished last in 21st position, thus being eliminated in the heats. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London she qualified for the semifinals 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.
She is the current national champion and ranked number one in New Zealand.