Breaking Boundaries

My name is Ottilie, but most people call me Ottie. I’m 23, from the UK, and completely obsessed with freestyle and whitewater kayaking. I mainly compete in freestyle, where we use river waves and holes to perform tricks. I first started kayaking when I was 10 at my local leisure centre. In the winter months, the local canoe club would hire the pool on Saturday afternoons, and that’s where I learnt the basics and fell in love with the sport.

I love the freedom I feel out on the water. Being outside in nature makes me feel amazing, and combining that with surfing waves and learning new tricks makes kayaking my favourite sport. I also really love how friendly and supportive the kayaking community is — there’s a real sense of belonging that makes the sport even more special.

In 2025 I achieved one of my lifetime goals: winning my ninth ICF World Championship gold, the most ever won by a woman in my sport. While winning is always my goal, I also care hugely about evolving freestyle kayaking and breaking down gender barriers. I’ve landed many first tricks both in and out of competition for women, and I hold the record for the highest score ever achieved by a woman in all three freestyle disciplines.

When I was 16, during year 11 at school, I won my first World Championship title as a junior. I travelled all the way to Argentina, battled the reigning junior world champion in a really tight competition, and came away with the title of my dreams. Going from “normal Ottie” to “World Champion Ottie” was one of the best feelings in the world, and I like to think it sparked my mission to become one of the greatest in my sport. In 2022, I competed in my first senior World Championships, which was held at home in Nottingham. It felt incredible to have my friends and family rooting for me on the river bank, and even my dog was there watching. I finished the week with three senior World Championship golds, becoming the first person to ever achieve that in freestyle kayaking. I broke the world record in all three women’s disciplines, achieved the highest ride out of both men and women in the squirt boat category, and won every single round of competition. It was a tiring but perfect week.

Right now, my goal is to keep pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for women in kayaking and to win more titles along the way. Next year I’ve set myself a mix of competition goals and personal progression goals on some big waves. I’d also love to see more young people trying freestyle and whitewater kayaking, and I hope I can continue to inspire and encourage growth in that area.