Maya’s dreams came true in April when Maya and her doubles partner Anthea Tan got selected for the women’s under 18 K2 Junior Australian Marathon Kayaking Team. They will represent Australia at the world championships in Metkovic Croatia in September. To be selected is a great honor and to achieve this as two under 16 year old athletes is an amazing accomplishment.

Maya paddles out of Bendigo canoe club during the week and every Saturday travels 2 hrs to Melbourne to train out of Fairfieild Canoe Club training with the Fairfield sprint team. Maya sticks to a strict training program consisting of both on water and off water training under the guidance of Wen and Dee Tan.

To be able to represent Australia is a dream come true for Maya and a great opportunity to compete against the best athletes in the world. Maya started paddling when she was 6 years old paddling with her mum and dad at Lake Weeroona in Bendigo. As Maya’s love of the sport has developed so has Maya’s dedication and determination to achieve her goals with future goals to represent Australia at the Olympics.

To be selected is a privilege however it is a fully self-funded trip which means that Maya has to fund her own uniform, flights, accommodation and Kayak hire which are huge expenses. Maya would be extremely grateful for any donations given to help her make it to the start line in Croatia.