Triumph through tenacity for elite slalom canoeist

The Tauranga-born athlete has achieved a long and illustrious sporting career, which began when she discovered canoe slalom at 14. After already having experience with white water kayaking, she says she got into the sport simply because she loved it.

“I grew up next to a kayaking adventure park and worked there in exchange for kayaking lessons. The days out on the white water, the thrill of it all and the people who were involved in the sport brought out a passion in me. I never dreamed this sport would lead to a career spanning 20 years and would take me to four, soon to be five, Olympics.”

With a career decorated by many highlights and little wins during training and racing, Luuka says she’s particularly proud of securing a silver medal at the Olympics in Rio, a bronze at the World Champs in 2019 and her recent win at the Paris World Cup and Olympic test event.

The World Cup victory came after a particularly difficult year battling long COVID, which Luuka says resulted in the tough situation of having to pull back to recover.

“It was a huge setback and there wasn’t a lot of knowledge available about long COVID or ways to recover. I am really grateful for the support of my team, especially my physiologist and my partner Brenden for helping me get through. That time did help me to develop a different perspective and made me more grateful for my health and the fact I could return to doing what I love.”

Luuka graduated with a Bachelor of Business in Communication from Te Kunenga ki Pūrehuroa Massey University in 2019. As she was travelling the world to train and compete, she says Massey provided the best option to simultaneously pursue study.

“I know a lot of athletes who study through Massey, so I knew they had a great extramural programme. Like many athletes, my academic journey was a long one. I studied part-time and did summer school papers when I could. I enjoyed being able to explore different papers within my degree and I found the lecturers and online platforms very helpful. I also received a Prime Minister’s Scholarship from High Performance Sport New Zealand (HPSNZ) which was a game changer.”

She says it helped to have another avenue to focus on outside of sport and a way to set herself up for the future while overseas.

“A standout moment for me was doing an assignment on a race day at the Olympics in Rio. I had planned it as a necessary distraction from the nerves of racing and it felt like it normalised things for me. It worked out well and I learned that I worked better when assignment deadlines were approaching!”

The 35-year-old is currently based in Auckland so she can train daily at the Vector Wero Whitewater Park.

“My current goal is training for my final Olympic games in Paris. I’m enjoying this journey and have big goals I still want to tick off, but I’m also looking forward to the next chapter of life after sport and moving into something different,” Luuka says.

When looking back at how far she’s come, Luuka says it takes a village.

“I have a lot to be grateful for, particularly my partner Brenden, my family, friends, coach, sponsors and my team of experts from HPSNZ. I’d also like to say a huge thanks to all the people who currently support me and who have supported me at different times in my career.”

Luuka’s secret to success is simple:

“Perseverance, persistence and staying consistent in the pursuit of trying to be better every day.”