St John Fisher College Year 8 student, Safari Watson-Feilo was crowned Under 14 National Girls Champion for Open Water Canoeing (Outrigging) in February 2019.
2019 marks the sixth consecutive year that Safari has been National Champion for her age group in this sport.
“Safari started competing in the sport in 2014 at the age of nine and showed an immediate talent and passion for the sport, bringing home three gold medals at Nationals just a year later,” said her mother Tracey Watson.
“The sport is something we have enjoyed as a family with her two brothers representing Australia at 2016 World Championships, and so it was a natural progression for Safari to follow suit.”
The event took place from 1-3 February 2019 at Lake Kawana, Bokarina, Sunshine Coast, with more than 600 competitors participating.
Safari won two gold medals in the team sprint and captained the OC6 Turns, a race requiring steering skills and teamwork. This performance was backed up by second gold medal in the Team Straights event.
“It felt so awesome to win and shows I can make it at the next level of competition,” said Safari.
St John Fisher College Head of Sport, Tamara Stephen added, “Safari is a remarkable athlete with power, endurance and the commitment to achieve anything she puts her mind to.”
Safari’s goal is to attend the 2020 World Championships to be held in Hawaii, competing in the sprints race when is 14 years of age.