Royal Navy win Freestyle Inter Services Kayak competition for the first time

The Royal Navy have won the freestyle Inter Services (IS) kayak competition for the first time in their history, fending off challenges from the British Army and Royal Air Force.

More than 40 military kayakers took part in the event – three, two from the Army and one from the Air Force, are on the elite athlete programme.

The Navy outscored their opponents in the overall competition, while Toby Evans received an individual bronze medal in the Extreme Slalom, and Caleb Newsome and Charlotte Fife claimed bronze in the Freestyle.

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Lieutenant Commander Oliver Taylor-Wood, team member and Royal Navy Paddlesport performance coach and committee member, said: "This is the first-ever win by the Royal Navy in a sport discipline which requires substantial prior experience in paddlesport to be able to compete – you must be able to paddle on whitewater before you can learn freestyle moves. 

"We also frequently struggle comparatively to other services in releasing enough personnel for training and competition, emphasising the dedication from across the team to this year's Inter Service success."

The Navy's team of 14 was the largest Inter Services team fielded in paddlesport for some time, the Navy said, attributing it to an increased uptake in whitewater kayaking across the service over the past two years.

Lt Cdr Taylor-Wood believes there is a real opportunity to become a service powerhouse on the IS stage in Whitewater, Freestyle and the new Olympic Extreme Slalom disciplines, provided the right infrastructure and support are in place.