Why timing of WNC kayaker Evy Leibfarth's 3rd world championship is key to Olympic bid
A native of small-town Bryson City in Swain County became a three-time world champion kayaker on Aug. 17, just one month before the qualifying event for the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics.
In her first race outside the junior division, Evy Leibfarth, 19, won the women's kayak under 23 event in Krakow, Poland, after a week of racing at the International Canoe Federation’s 2023 Junior and Under 23 Canoe Slalom World Championships. Leibfarth sped down the course in her finals run in 90.24 seconds.
“My week started out with some solid racing in the heats and semifinals, but I knew I had to really improve on my time to be on the podium as there were so many really fast girls racing with me,” Leibfarth told the Citizen Times Aug. 24 regarding her win. “When it came down to my finals run, I told myself ‘I want to win this race,’ and I just really gave it my all and was able to stick to my race plan.”
Leibfarth, who is coached by her father, Lee Leibfarth, has taken the world championship title twice before at the junior level. Last year, she defended her 2019 title when she won the 18-and-under extreme slalom event at the International Canoe Federation World Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom Championships in Ivrea, Italy.
At this year’s competition, Leibfarth competed in singles kayak, singles canoe and kayak cross ― the same events in which she’s preparing to race in less than a month at the 2023 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships at London's Lee Valley White Water Centre, for a shot at her second Olympic appearance. She also found a spot on the podium in singles canoe, where she placed third with a time of 97.34 seconds.
“This definitely gives me a lot of confidence going into the Olympic qualifiers, which is such a good feeling to have,” Leibfarth said. “I love the course in London and it’s very difficult with some big water, so it’ll be important to feel strong.”
EXTREME SUCCESS: WNC Olympian Evy Leibfarth takes podium at ICF World Championships in extreme kayak
After making her international debut at 15, Leibfarth has traveled across the world from London to Slovenia in her young career, competing in 20 countries across five continents against the best kayakers in the world. She said the hardest part of racing isn’t the paddling but controlling stress and feeling confident.
At 17, Leibfarth became the first American woman to ever compete in women's slalom canoe at the Tokyo Olympics. Tokyo was the first time this event was featured in the Olympics, nearly 30 years after men’s slalom canoe was added to the event list. Leibfarth finished 12th in women’s slalom kayak, missing the event final by two spots. She also placed 18th in women’s slalom canoe.
When she’s not paddling, Leibfarth attends Davidson College. But since she’ll be home in North Carolina “for about a month this entire year,” Leibfarth is taking a year-and-a-half break from college to train and travel in the lead up to the Olympics.
Ryley Ober is the Public Safety Reporter for Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. News tips? Email Ryley at rober@gannett.com. Please support local, daily journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: WNC Olympic kayaker Evy Leibfarth becomes 3-time world champion
