A New Queen Is Crowned

River Mutton: On her Veko experience

Ekstremsport Veko was the first whitewater world championship I ever attended back in 2022. Even though I was only in Voss for 2 weeks that season it will always be one of my most memorable kayaking trips. It was my first time paddling whitewater overseas and I had the best experience! I knew even then I would be coming back to Voss. I was especially keen to compete at Veko again because its such a sick festival and event. That year I finished in 2nd behind Nouria, which fired me up a lot for the next World Champs at King of the Alps in Italy.

I managed to secure second place again at King of the Alps last year.  It was a super cool final with a bunch of my good friends so that was really fun. Nouria took out the title again, which didn't surprise me. I've always looked up to Nouria since she came to New Zealand and fired me up on paddling as a kid so racing her these days is pretty cool! After worlds, I road-tripped back up to Norway for more paddling and Veko. There wasn't much pressure this time since it wasn’t worlds, and I was also only just recovering from a rowdy sickness I’d picked up between the two races. I was really happy just to be well enough to paddle and out on my favourite section in Voss. The final went smoothly, but I had a little slip up at the bottom so I was super surprised to win the final, placing 7th in the open men's category. It was really motivating to be so close to the boys' top times, especially being within 2 seconds of my brother!

When I heard that Worlds would be at Veko again this year, I was instantly excited! I know the race lines better than anyone; it's like a second home to me. I also love the Holy Diver feature so much - it's such a feel-good rapid for me and so fun! Initially, I hadn’t planned to go to Worlds as they were supposed to be at the Oetz Trophy in September, but when Oetz was cancelled, Veko took over as Worlds. I was already planning to spend the season in Voss, so it fit perfectly with my plans.

I arrived in Voss in May to start working for the summer, which allowed me to get a few early season Myrk laps. Holy Diver was just as fun as I remembered, and my lines were feeling good! However, as the race approached, my confidence started to drop. I hadn’t had much time to paddle with work and study commitments, and the Myrk was dropping fast due to the warm days that burnt through the snowpack too quickly. There was uncertainty about which section the semi and final would be held on with such low water levels. The toss-up was between 3 possible sections but we hoped for Holy Diver. No one knew which section to practice so we started thinking about the fast lines on the one that looked most likely further up the Myrk.  Fortunately, with some rain, the water levels rose just in time for the race and the forcast promised to keep it rising. After we sold some bouncy practice laps, a final decision by the organizers was made and we were set to race on Holy Diver. I was super excited.

Qualifications were held at the top of the play run on the Raundal. I always love the first day of racing because the pressure isn't really on yet, so it's just music, paddling and good people. I was happy to win the quali and was starting to feel good about racing again.

The final day arrived, and I don't think I've ever been so nervous for a race. I planned for one, maybe two warm up laps, but after two of the most horrible lines I’ve ever had on Holy Diver I headed up for another. Two more horrendous lines later I was feeling super anxious about the race. Ive never struggled on this rapid before so I was really confused why I suddenly couldnt hit even close to a good line. It might have been the recent change in water levels that meant I was struggling to find a feel for the rapid but I put it down to being really nervous and I tried to forget about my bad lines. I called it a morning before I got tired but for the first time ever I was feeling really uncertain about the line on Holy Diver. My nerves were wild sitting in the start eddy for the semi. I played it super safe and just hit some smooth lines which worked well. I had to focus hard for Holy Diver, It was a really different experience to not have confidence in my line. It was far from good but it was enough, much to my relief. I was stoked to find that I won the semi with a decent time.

Starting last in the final was crazy. I was trying so hard to focus on having fun but the pressure of being so close to winning a world title was insane. I knew I had it in the bag so long as I didn't do anything stupid in the one run that counted. Originally I wanted to send it for the final but with my newfound uncertainty on Holy diver and the reassurance from my semi-time that I didn't have to paddle my hardest to win, I was just aiming to be smooth. I could hear my heart in my ears as I waited for the all-clear. My first line off the entry drop was sick and I started to have fun. I skipped a little too far left out of the weir but I wasn't too worried so long as I held it together for the rest. As I approached the horizon line for Holy Diver I was focusing so hard on the entry that I forgot to concentrate on the exit and felt myself starting to spin off line… I rammed in a backy, which was super slow but it stopped me from spinning out. Unfortunately, I still got pushed into the slow water on the left and lost a lot of time working to get back into the main current. I was gutted for a solid second but the race wasn't over so I refocused and boosted for the last stretch. I bounced off the rock slightly on the last move but thats ok. When I crossed the line, there was a long moment of silence before the crowd cheered. I was so tired and uncertain so I assumed I'd blown it. There was a bit of disappointment starting to settle when I looked up to see George running towards me and telling me I was first and I didn't believe it. Then my friends were running down and hugging me.

Being a World Champ has been my dream since I was a kid so it was hard for that reality to sink in! I was so stoked to win my first world title and even more stoked that it was with Nouria and Rata on the podium with me. Next year I hope to feel less pressure now that I've achieved my goal, and I'm looking forward to trying to be even faster!