Luuka Jones of New Zealand. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
With eleven world championships under her belt New Zealand paddler Luuka Jones can afford to take a relatively relaxed approach into the 2023 Canoe Slalom World Championships in London.
After missing the 2022 season because of long Covid, Jones is returning to the pinnacle events with a different philosophy to her sport.
"It's not my first rodeo and mentally I'm going in feeling confident but obviously I haven't had the ideal preparation that I have had in previous years."
Jones missed an entire year of competition with long-term effects of the pandemic.
However her aim was to qualify for a fifth Olympics and she hopes to achieve that in London this week.
Rather than being concerned because of the changes she's been forced to make in the last year, Jones said she feels in a really good place mentally.
"I'm happy... I'm well set-up and grateful to be back paddling and having that year off really gave me perspective, so happy and grateful to be back on the water."
She admits to have struggled with motivation a few years ago, but the break forced by Covid changed that and she feels she still has more to give.
On her return to competition this year Jones finished sixth at a World Cup regatta in Prague and followed that up with a 14th in the K1 in Spain and a sixth in the Extreme event where there are four paddlers on the water at the same time.
While she's not in the same physical condition she has been at other pinnacle events, she doesn't believe it's a problem.
"The priority for me and my physiologist is not over doing it and not going back down the hole.
"So this year has looked very different for me in the terms of the volume of training that I do and can handle, so I've had to be really strategic with the sessions I do during the week.
Photo: PHOTOSPORT
That includes monitoring her training stats to make sure she's not over doing it. So has that affected the way she approaches competition now?
"In the past I've prided myself for being one of the hardest workers in the room and now that hard work looks different it's about training smarter and not harder."
Jones, 34, said that has stemmed from both her issues with Covid-19 and also getting older.
"I've been doing it for a long time and managing my body and injuries is a big part of it and with the long term goal being Paris it's about qualifying the spot and doing the best I can at these world championships."
The top 15 nations from the world champs will earn spots at next year's Olympics and Jones feels comfortable trying to achieve that at the Lee Valley course in London.
"I have fond memories of racing the Olympics here in 2012 and we had the World Championships and Olympic qualifying here in 2015.
"I love it, it's big, it's challenging with a lot of features and a big gradient.
"I've been living in the UK on and off since I was 18 so I feel at home here."
Jones, the Rio2016 silver meadlist, is hoping to qualify for Paris, which would be her fifth Olympics.
-RNZ