Claudia Jayne Bailey is a kayaker who was awarded a Tier 2 Scholarship within the 2023 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.
Claudia was born on the Gold Coast in 2005 and showed great promise as a multi-sport athlete from a young age. She began as a swimmer, before discovering sprint kayaking at 15 and has since shown great dedication to her training and racing, whilst enjoying the strength, speed, and power associated with her sports.
At the 2022 Canoe Sprint Championships, and after only a year and a half in the kayak, she won four gold, three silver, and one bronze. These results included winning the distinguished U18 K1-500 and finishing second in the U18 K1-200 and K1-1000. These performances earned Claudia selection to compete at the 2022 Sprint Canoe Junior World Championships in Szeged, Hungary.
As a testament to her multi-sport ability, Claudia is equally adept in Surf Life Saving and won seven gold, including the prestigious U17 Ironwoman, and three silver medals, including the U17 individual board and swim race, as well as the coveted Most Outstanding Female Competitor Award at the 2022 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships. These results meant she secured selection for the 2022 Australian Youth Surf Life Saving Team that competed at the World Championships in Riccione, Italy.
Away from the water, Claudia hopes to work in the health sciences field. She wants to give herself the opportunity to perform as well as possible as an athlete and, hopefully, one day represent Australia at a senior level, but she’s also mindful that she needs a career path for life after sport.
“To be a successful SAHOF recipient means so much to me and makes me feel like I am getting recognised for all the hard work and dedication I have put towards kayaking and surf lifesaving. I am very grateful to be recognised for this prestigious award amongst other elite athletes around Australia. To have SAHOF behind me will help encourage and give me inspiration to develop as an athlete and take me to the next step.” – Claudia Bailey on being selected as a 2023 Tier 2 Scholarship Holder.
Honours & Achievements
- 2022: Australian Canoe Sprint Championships – U18 K1 500, 1st
- 2022: Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships – U17 Ironwoman, 1st
- 2022: Australian Canoe Sprint Championships – K1 200, 2nd
- 2022: Australian Canoe Sprint Championships – K1 1000, 2nd
- 2022: Australian Surf Lifesaving Championships – Board & Swim, 2nd
- 2023: Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship Holder
Profile image: Paddle Australia / Bence Vekassy
