Caoilin Caffrey second from right in action and (inset): Caoilin on the podium (left)
Photos by John Butterly
Caoilin is Ireland’s first ever female Canoe Marathon European medalist
A YOUNG canoer of Tallaght extraction has become Ireland’s first-ever female Canoe Marathon European Medalist after winning silver at the European Championships recently held in Romania.
Fifteen-year-old Caoilin Caffrey, whose grandparents hail from Springfield, Tallaght, returned from the event with a bronze medal in the short course, over a distance of 3.2km and a silver medal in the long course, contested over 19km.
Caffrey was the youngest competitor in the field though this inexperience was not evident from her display on the water.
She showcased sheer grit and determination from the beginning to hold her position in the lead group in both races.
On the short course, Caffrey overtook in the final portage. A portage being when canoers are temporarily forced onto land carrying their gear with them as they work around any obstacle blocking their path in the water.
She entered the last portage in fifth position and out sprinted two Hungarian athletes ahead of her (one of whom was last year’s European Champion) to get ahead and ultimately finish in third place.
This medal win gave her the confidence and belief to go out again the following day and put on an excellent performance in the long-course championships.
Caffrey started strongly being part of the lead group along with athletes from the UK, Hungary and Spain.
Her portages improved on each lap and ultimately she would achieve a silver medal in this event after a long race.
The two medals were extremely unexpected, at just 15 Caffrey’s original goal had been to finish in the top eight as this was her first year eligible to compete internationally.
The achievement was made possible by the help and guidance of her coach Jon Simmons and her team-mates back home.
She is now in Canada competing at the Junior/U23 World Sprint Championships.
