Dylan Littlehales

Started: He began paddling in 2014. (Purser Corporate Communication YouTube channel, 27 Sep 2019) Reason: He was introduced to the sport by his uncle Mike Druce, who has worked as Australian canoe slalom head coach. "Growing up, I was watching the London [Paralympic] Games [in 2012], always dreaming of going to the Games to be a swimmer. Eventually I jumped into Para canoe with my uncle as a head coach of slalom. I picked up the sport at the perfect time, because right after I started, a new canoe club started about 20 minutes away from me. They had a bunch of boats and paddles, and then I got my own stuff eventually." (paddle.org.au, 21 Jun 2023; paralympic.org, 12 Sep 2015) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (paddle.org.au, 21 Jun 2023) Awards: He was named Male Paddler of the Year for four consecutive seasons from 2019/20 to 2022/23 by Paddle New South Wales in Australia. (Paddle NSW Facebook page, 20 Aug 2023) He was named Adaptive Paddler of the Year for four consecutive seasons from 2015/16 to 2018/19 by Paddle New South Wales in Australia. (Paddle NSW Facebook page, 20 Aug 2023) Additional Info: PADDLING AGAINST CANCER In October 2023 he paddled more than 100km when he took part in the Hawkesbury Canoe Classic to fundraise for Cancer Council Australia. His mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2023. "I moved to a whole different state while the family has gone through that, so I didn't see a lot of the bad times. We got it early enough. [The race was] over four times as far as I have ever gone before. I'm not somebody who likes doing too many long kilometres in the off-season but this has been motivation to get through it knowing that if I don't do the kilometres now, there is no way I'm getting through 111km. Finishing in the top five individual paddlers and two hours ahead of what I believed to be possible gave me a glimpse of the body's true potential if my mind is strong enough." (Facebook page, 29 Oct 2023; heraldsun.com.au, 27 Oct 2023)

Sporting Relatives: His uncle Mike Druce has worked as a coach for the Australian canoe slalom team. (paralympic.org, 12 Sep 2015)