Site icon Women Fitness

Claire O’Hara: World Champion in Freestyle Kayak & Squirt Boat Kayak Reveals her Success Mantra

Namita Nayyar (WF Team)

Claire was born in Leeds and attended Cardinal Heenan High School and Notre Dame Sixth Form College. She attended Leeds Metropolitan University where she obtained a BA Honours degree in Sport and Recreation Development.

Claire has always been involved in sport from an early age and started kayaking with Leeds Canoe Club in 1996. Whilst at Leeds Metropolitan University she was the captain of the Leeds Met University Kayak club. At Leeds Met University she was awarded a Carnegie Sports Scholarship in 2003 in recognition of her talents and dedication to the sport of kayaking. Leeds Met University Head of University Sport Malcolm Brown said: “I am delighted at Claire’s sporting standard and she deserves to have been awarded a scholarship.

This scholarship will give Claire access to support, coaching and facilities needed to be successful in both academic and sporting commitments. I wish her well for the future.”

In 2001 Claire started competing competitively in freestyle kayaking and in 2006 she made the British team. Since winning her place on the team Claire has had a very successful international competition career. She has traveled to paddle at rivers in many countries across the world. She has paddled all across the UK and Europe and in the USA, Canada, Norway, Uganda, NZ, Australia and Nepal. Claire is a multi-disciplined paddler and has experience paddling freestyle, squirt boat, slalom, surf, polo and white water kayak as well as traditional and specialist white water open canoe at recreational and competitive level.

Claire is the current World Champion in Freestyle Kayak and Squirt Boat Kayak and is the most successful female freestyle kayaker in the World and the most successful British Freestyle kayaker in History having won multiple World Championships, European Championships and British Championship Golds. Claire has won five ICF World Championship Titles and two Mystery World Championship titles and is the only freestyle kayak athlete ever to have Doubled the Double. She currently holds the world record for the highest competitive women scores in both disciplines of the sports. Claire has also won numerous World Cup, European Cup, European Champion and British Championship titles. Claire still trains and competes around the world in both squirt boat kayak and freestyle kayaking and is a great ambassador for the sport.

Since graduating in July 2004 Claire has worked as a full time instructor, senior instructor and technical adviser for Bradford Council, Nottingham City Council and Nottingham County Council’s Adventure Activity teams and for a number of individuals and organisation as a Freelance Instructor including work with Leeds Beckett University, the National Water Sports Centre, Nottingham and the Kelly White Water Park in the USA. Claire also spent 4 years working part-time as the Further Education Sport Coordinator and Enhancement Coordinator at Notre Dame 6th Form College.

Claire is an aspirant Level 5 Kayak coach and a BCU UKCC tutor trainer. She is also qualified to teach and deliver several other outdoor activities and sports. Claire is currently training full time and works as a Freelance Instructor for Claire O’Hara Coaching.

Achievements of Claire O’Hara

2014

2013


2012

2011

2010


2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Full Interview on Next Page!

All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness

Claire O’Hara is two times world freestyle kayak champion and three times world champion squirt boat kayak. She is in conversation with Namita Nayyar President Women Fitness.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You started kayaking when you were about 15 years old with Leeds Canoe Club in 1996. Whilst at Leeds Metropolitan University you were the captain of the Leeds Met University Kayak club. At Leeds Met University you were awarded a Carnegie Sports Scholarship in 2003 in recognition of your talent and dedication to the sport of kayaking. You reached the pinnacle of success when you won the World Championship in Freestyle Kayak and Squirt Boat Kayak and became the most successful female freestyle kayaker in the World. Tell us about your journey that took you to where you are now in the world of kayaking and as a multi-disciplined paddler?

 

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

My journey started many years ago when I first went on a canoeing holiday with my mum and sister down the River Wye. It was here that I feel in love with the freedom of adventure out on the river and the technical challenge of the sport. On this trip I paddled a tandem canoe for 5 days but yearned to be in a kayak on my own like our instructor.

Following on from here I took every chance I could to get out on the water mostly during the summer holidays at activity camps. Then in 1996 my mum heard about our local kayak club and that was it my journey began. Initially I started off in the pool and on the local canal developing my basic fundamental skills. Quickly I progressed onto the rivers. A group of more experienced paddlers took me under their wing and mentored and guided me.

Within just a matter of months I was paddling technical grade 3/4 runs. The club was a recreational whitewater club and had paddlers within it that took part in many different elements of the sport which was fantastic as it allowed me to experience a vast diversity of elements of paddler sports. We would enter canoe rally’s, multi day canoeing self support journeys, slalom races, whitewater kayak festivals and gatherings, canoe polo tournaments as well as many club trips most of which involved heading to the ocean to kayak surf or heading to the rivers to tackle the Rapids, across the UK and further afield. My first international trips taking me to the big water rivers of Austria Alps and then the Himalayas in Nepal.

After I’d been paddling for 5 years and during my time at university a number of my friends started paddling at the local freestyle kayaking events (Peak Challenges) and in 2001 I went along with them to my first event. The excitement and energy around the event had me instantly hooked. Here was a super supportive, friendly and fun new discipline of the sport. The lads were already really good and set a high standard from the start for me to chase. Initially it started out as just another fun discipline of paddle sport. However the more I did it the more addicted I got. In 2004 I won my first big event the National Student Rodeo in my final year at University. Then in 2005 I went for GB team trials and won a place on the team for the 2006 European Championships. This was my first of many major international events.

It was around this point that I found my real focus within the sport. Even now I still run rivers and love jumping into any type of paddling craft but I have a real passion and drive for freestyle and within that the specialist disciplines of freestyle kayak and squirt.

In 2009 I won my first World Championship Gold medal and have remained at the top of the sport ever since. I now hold 7 World titles and have set many new standards and records for female paddle sport. I love whitewater kayaking and freestyle and continue to travel, train, paddle, coach and compete around the world full time. My next big event is the 2015 ICF World Championships that I will be competing in this summer on the Ottawa river in Canada.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You have selected a sports as a multi-disciplined paddler and have experience in paddling freestyle, squirt boat, slalom, surf, polo and white water kayak that requires a lot of hard labor, technical soundness and excellence in different faculties to finally succeed, how do you achieve that?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

I think have been able to achieve the success and diversity in my paddling as a result of the many incredible opportunities that have come my way during my paddling life. I am the kind of person who says yes and try’s to maximize on every opportunity that comes my way and I think that as a result of this I have been able to experience and develop wider both as a paddler and a person. I enjoy challenge and trying new things especially within the sport I love.

I enjoy and thrive of the challenge of learning difficult skills and often won’t stop trying until I master it. Something I think is especially essential in learning freestyle kayaking skills and I think has helped me achieve the high standards that I have. If I can see someone else can do something and I want it. I will keep working and trying until I figure it out. I think that this determination and drive and passion for excellence combined with the transferability of a lot of the paddle sport skills has meant that I have been able to experience and enjoy many of the incredible disciplines of kayaking over the years. Something I look forward to continuing to a lot more in future years.

I thrive on being the best I possibly can and I am extremely competitive. Add this to a sport where there is always more to learn, new rivers and waves to paddle and new skills to master, and you are on a never ending learning curve.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

How could you overcome the element of fear in freestyle kayaking as a sport?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

Fear is something that challenge us all in many different ways through life. I see fear as being a way to describe the feelings associated with the hazards and risks involved in a situation. To me there are two components of fear that I have battled at different times during my paddling life. The battle with the Real ‘physical’ fear and the perceived ‘psychological’ fear.

In terms of real physical fear, I feel that this component of fear is associated with the direct dangers and life threatening risks that come from playing in a natural playgrounds and pushing the limits in a sport like this. This is something that I have become more and more aware of as I have progressed in my paddling career. The risk that comes from pushing the limits of an extreme sport and the increase in consequences that come with this.

To me a lot of my paddling nowadays has been shaped and developed by a real awareness of these risks. I have a real and very healthy respect for the rivers and the sport of kayaking and have chosen my current focuses within the sport as a result of this. My shift towards freestyle kayaking was partially due to the fact that freestyle, as a whole, is low risk. For a whitewater paddle sport, freestyle is extremely challenging and rewarding with endless opportunities for progression without the need to put yourself into increasing levels of danger as is more the case when searching for the same challenge and buzz out on the rivers.

So part of my fear coping strategy has been shaped by the disciplines I have chosen to focus on, as well as the ability to reflect on my previous experiences and acknowledge and respect the dangers and risk associated with the disciplines and different environments involved in my sport and make smart choices as a result of this.

The other fear I have and will continue to experience is the perceived (physiological) fear. The fear in your mind where the consequences of a situation are massive but the reality is the real physical risk is only small. To me this often relates to the nerves and expectations that i put upon myself as a competitor to achieve and reach a certain level of success.

This is something I am continually aware of and working to overcome. I find one of the biggest challenges here is to keep a realistic check on what my goals and outcomes are to ensure that they are controllable and realistic. For example at the 2015 World Championships if my goal is solely ‘to win both golds again’ then it carries with it a lot of pressure and a fear of not winning. Especially as Its in a situation that I cannot fully control, as I do not know and can not have any influence on what my competitors do or what the wave will be like on the day.

However if I change my goal slightly to be ‘to get as good as I possibly can’ by then. So I can ‘lay down the best possible rides I can on the day’ then suddenly the pressure is different. It becomes a much more manageable and controllable situation and therefore the fear is less as this is something that is much easier to achieve and ultimately if all goes well the outcome can be the same. If I can perform my best possible rides on the day and I prepare well, then in theory I am in with a very good shot of defending my World titles and winning both golds again.

These are both areas my coaches help me with a lot.

Video

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What exercises comprise your fitness regime or workout routine you shall like to share?

 

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

My fitness routine varies throughout the season but is primarily based around being fit and ready for training and at a peak of fitness in time for each competition.

Through out the year I spend a lot of time in my kayaks. Working on the sport specific skills and developing my boating fitness base. But I also do a lot of out of boat training especially during the off season to help me keep balanced, fit and injury free.

Over the last few years I have spent the off season training with 6 degrees fit in Sydney. Here I have been very lucky to have the support of their lead personal trainer Abel who designs his group based MMA boot camp fitness training session specifically to help me train and be ready for events. We do a lot of explosive power and plyometrics work with core strength development and interval training. This has made a huge difference to my general fitness levels and helped me go into each season super strong and ready. It’s also really good fun.

During the season I tend to focus more on supplementing my paddling fitness with flexibility (yoga and stretching sessions) and strength conditioning session. I have programme of sport specific exercises and routines that my Physio (Fraiser Mckinney) created for me 4 years ago that I regularly use as it targets all the muscle groups neglected by kayaking and help me keep in an around good shape.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Do you take some special diet or have a strict menu that you follow to remain healthy and physically fit?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

I have had a lot of nutritional input over the years and this has allowed me to be very aware of what I am eating to ensure that I have a balanced diet that contains all the calories and nutrients that I need and that can help me maintain good energy levels through the week. I don’t follow a strict diet but I am nutritional aware. I love chocolate and have a weakness for other good tasting bad foods such as pizza, ice cream and chips. So my nutrition definitely isn’t perfect but I find that by being aware of what I’m eating and consequently the effect that bad nutrition has on my energy levels and performance I can keep on track and manage it with out feeling tied into a specific diet or food plan.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Elaborate your experience on winning 2013 World Championship (Freestyle Kayaking) and World Championship (Squirt Boat)?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

Winning the 2013 World Championships was amazing. I had been training super hard and made massive progress in my paddling performance and to be able to showcase it during the event was insane. There were elements of the competition where the pressure was on as my competitors laid down some solid rides. Which kept the pressure on and in the end it came down to the very last ride in freestyle and even then no one knew who had won until the judges announced the scores. That’s the kind of competitions I like to be part of. High standards, everyone battling it out the whole way through and constant pressure to be on the very top of your game right until the very end.

It was so exciting and rewarding to be able to put down some epic runs and defend both world titles again and to set some new world record scores throughout the event. Especially in front of all my friends and family and with such a audience big crowd at the event and online.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Advice and motivational words for our inspiring and budding paddling girls who all are your fans, what should they do for their climb to the ladder of success in field of paddling and kayaking?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

Follow your dreams and work hard to achieve your goals. Nothing is impossible, but a lot of goals require a lot of hard work, focus and grit determination to achieve. At the end of the day whatever your personal goal is remember to enjoy the process of getting there as this is the stage that makes up your life. Enjoy everyday whether it be on the water or in the gym and ultimately paddle because you love it.

 

Video

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You have won and participated in many freestyle kayaking championships. Share with us your most memorable experience?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

Winning the double for the first time in 2011. I had already competed in one final and smashed it winning the squirt boating gold. I was sat in the eddy chatting to my coach (Dennis Newton Sweet water Coaching) before my second ride in my second finals of the day, the freestyle event. I was already so happy to be in the finals and had nothing to loose. I was competing against the best paddlers in the world. Den said to me ‘just go do it’ and I looked around the audience as I paddled into the competition feature and then boom I was off. I knew as I paddled out of the wave 45 seconds later, that that was the best performance I could have given on that day. Then to hear the announcers make the call that I was in the lead and for no one to be able to beat that score during their final rides and for me to then take the win. That was epic. A day I will never forget. The day my dreams became a reality.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

Who has been your inspiration and motivation that led you to your success in the world of paddling and kayaking?

 

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

Throughout my paddling career I have meet so many people who have inspired me and motivated me to progress and achieve that it is impossible to name just one. I have found that every time I paddle I have received encouragement, motivation and inspiration from those I am out on the water with and I feel that every single one of the people I have meet and had the pleasure to share experiences on the river with have helped shape me into the paddler that I am now. From my first days on the water as a kid until paddling in Uganda with some of the worlds best freestyle kayakers and my coaches just a few days ago.

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

You won 2 times World Freestyle Kayak Champion, 3 times World Champion Squirt Boat Kayak, 2 times Mystery World Champion Squirt Boating. You are the only female athlete to have ever performed a 24 Second Mystery Move, a Super Clean Heli Split Wheel, a Split Split Tricky Woo Combo and many other top moves. What responsibility do these winnings and achievements bestow upon you in your future efforts and activities in the field of paddling and kayaking?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

I hope that what I have achieved will enable me to continue to lead a new presence within paddle sport. That I will have inspired many paddlers young and old, male and female to see beyond the limits and traditional expectations and to strive for a standard of excellence surpassing anything that as all ready achieved.

For me I now know there is no limit and that if I train smart and hard I can achieve anything I dream of within the sport. I have already had an extremely successful career and achieved so much but I have not finished yet. I love kayaking and look forward to continuing to do it for many many more years to come. I think my role now as I move forward is to continue to inspire and motivate and support the next generation on and off the water in continuing to take the sport further and further forward.

I hope I can pass this hard working and goal breaking limitless ethos on to the next generation and even more than that that I can pass on the importance of having fun out there. The importance of being part of the community, of sharing a positive attitude and enthusiasm within the sport and enjoying every moment out on the river.

 

Ms. Namita Nayyar:

What you wish to say about the website Womenfitness.net and message for its visitors?

Ms. Claire O’Hara:

I would like to thank Women Fitness for inviting me to be feature in this interview and for the great work they do in promoting and supporting the achievements, levels of fitness and work that is being done by women including female athletes around the world.

To know more about Claire O’Hara, check her out at:

Women Fitness Team thanks Claire O’Hara for giving her valuable time for this interview and quenching the thirst of her fans to know more about her and made this interview happen.

Video

All content on this site is copyright of Women Finess and no part of any article found on this site may be reproduced without an express permission and highlighted, do follow link crediting http://www.womenfitness.net/ or preferably the original page as the source. This interview is exclusive and taken by Namita Nayyar President womenfitness.net and should not be reproduced, copied or hosted in part or full anywhere without an express permission.

All Written Content Copyright © 2017 Women Fitness
Exit mobile version