The modest 21-year-old placed ninth in the men’s 200m canoe sprint competition at the games in a field of 24, which were held in Kazan, Russia from 6 to 17 July. The Universiade is a sporting and cultural festival held every two years and is the world’s biggest sporting event after the Olympics. This year saw the largest number of contestants ever, with more than 10,400 university students from 162 countries.
Calven’s father, Jeff, who has been canoeing socially for the last 20 years, encouraged him to take up the paddle. ‘When I think back to the little boy who fell out the canoe every few minutes when I first taught him to paddle, I am amazed and proud at the success he has made of himself,’ said Jeff.
He began canoeing professionally in 2011, with the help of coach, Neil Evans and now spends his time training about six times per week on the water and five times in the gym. “Neil has been incredibly supportive and is one of the main reasons I made it to the games,” said Calven.
After winning silver in the SA champs U23, he moved onto his first international competition, the Universiade, to compete in the men’s canoe sprint kayak single (K1) 200m and 1,000m events.
“The heats went really well and I found myself in the A final in the 200m – I didn’t expect to do so well and the whole experience was amazing.”
The success of his first international tour has spurred his desire to achieve even more and he is pushing himself to compete in the SA champs again in September, with eventual hopes to compete in the Olympics one day.
When not training and competing, Calven can either be found at Varsity College, where he is studying sports management and development, or coaching aspiring canoeists.
When asked what he tries to instil in the youngsters he coaches, Calven said he reminds them to: “Keep motivated and to always believe in themselves.”
-
-
-
-
