Luuka Jones
 Luuka Jones at the 2012 Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 18 October 1988 Tauranga, New Zealand | |||||||||||
| Height | 1.72 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb) | |||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||
| Country | New Zealand | |||||||||||
| Sport | Canoe slalom | |||||||||||
| Event | K-1 | |||||||||||
Medal record
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| Updated on 11 August 2016 | ||||||||||||
Luuka Jones (born 18 October 1988) is a New Zealand slalom canoeist who has competed since 2006.[1]
Private life
Jones was born in Tauranga in 1988. Her mother was a fan of the British actress Audrey Hepburn and Luuka Jones was named for Hepburn's second son, Luca Dotti.[2] Her father is Rod Jones.[3] She was brought up adjacent to the Wairoa River. She took up kayaking at age ten and received lessons from Waimarino Adventure Park nearby.[2] She went to Otumoetai Intermediate where in Year Seven, she set her goal to win an Olympic medal.[4][5] She moved to England at age 17 to further her canoe career[3] and divides her time between Nottingham and New Zealand, spending the Northern Hemisphere based in Europe where most of the competitions are held.[6] She studies business extramurally at Massey University, majoring in communication.[2][7] She receives sponsorship from businesses based in Tauranga.[7] Apart from canoe, Jones enjoys surfing and mountain biking.[2][5]
Canoe career
She started competing in 2003 at age 14.[2] In preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics, she moved to England to train with the British team.[2] She was the first female canoe slalom paddler to represent New Zealand at the 2008 Olympic Games;[2] she competed in the K1 event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics where she finished last in 21st position, thus being eliminated in the heats.[4] At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London she qualified for the semifinals of the K1 event where she finished in 14th place. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro she won a silver medal in the K1 event.[8]
She is the current national champion and ranked number one in New Zealand.
References
- ^ "Overview of athlete's results at canoeslalom.net". Retrieved 4 September 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Rio Olympics 2016: 10 things to know about Olympic silver medallist Luuka Jones". The New Zealand Herald. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ a b Keber, Ruth (12 August 2016). "Luuka Jones: Father's joy at Luuka's silver lining". The New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Luuka Jones' 20-year dream becomes reality with Olympic silver in canoe slalom". Stuff.co.nz. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ a b Cowley, Sarah. "FAST: Female Athletes Set to Triumph....Luuka Jones". sarahcowley.com. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Talk Time with NZ Canoe Slalam Athlete Luuka Jones". Megs & Soph. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ a b "Luuka Jones gets down to business". Massey University. 28 July 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ^ "Rio Olympics 2016: Silver medal for Luuka Jones". The New Zealand Herald. 12 August 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- Use dmy dates from November 2011
- 1988 births
- Living people
- New Zealand female canoeists
- Olympic canoeists of New Zealand
- Canoeists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Canoeists at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Canoeists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- New Zealand sportswomen
- Olympic silver medalists for New Zealand
- Olympic medalists in canoeing
- Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Sportspeople from Tauranga
- Sportspeople from Nottingham