Tom Green OAM is a sprint kayaker and Olympic champion who was awarded a Scholarship within the 2020 Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program and was paired with Grant Hackett OAM as his Mentor. Tom was just the second kayaker to be selected to be part of the Scholarship & Mentoring Program.
Tom was born in Queensland in 1999 and began paddling in 2012 with the Currumbin Creek Canoe Club. He is now a world junior champion and Olympic gold medallist.
Tom initially treated paddling and surf lifesaving as healthy hobbies, until kayaking stalwart John Newton encouraged him to focus on flatwater paddling. A few weeks later, he won 11 medals in his division at the Australian Canoe Sprint Championships, including three gold.
Tom first represented Australia at the Olympic Hopes Regatta in Poland in 2015 and returned as the only Australian to have ever placed in two individual events, with silver in the K1 500 and bronze in the K1 1000.
Fast forward to 2018, Tom was selected on the Australian U23 and Senior World Championship Team. After winning gold at the U23 World Championships, Tom placed 7th in the A final of K1, 500m and 4th in the K4 500m at the Senior World Championships.
2019 saw Tom representing Australia at the U23 and Senior World Championships after a dominant domestic season. At the 2019 U23 World Championships, Tom showed his dominance by winning the K1 1000m convincingly. He was also a member of the Gold Medal K4 500m team.
Tom used the 2019 ICF Senior Sprint Championships to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics where he won gold in the K2 1000m.
“It is an honour to receive a SAHOF Scholarship and to have been recognised by my peers. Being mentored by Grant Hackett, a sporting great, is a privilege that will help make my sporting dreams a reality.
The opportunity to learn from someone who has been there and who has experienced the ups and downs of elite competition and can share their lessons learned with me is simply priceless. I look forward to making the most out of this opportunity and I thank everyone involved for their consideration. I hope to one day be able to mentor others to help them chase their dreams no matter how big.” – Tom on being selected as a 2020 Scholarship Holder
Mentor Grant Hackett spoke about his opportunity to Mentor Tom. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to help guide Tom through the challenges he faces as an athlete. Providing perspective through experience allows any athlete a greater chance of reaching their full potential.”
Awards, Honours & Achievements
- 2018: U23 World Championships – K2 1000m, gold
- 2018: World Senior Championships – K1 500m, 7th
- 2018: World Senior Championships – K4 500m, 4th
- 2019: U23 World Championships – K4 500m, gold
- 2019: U23 World Championships – KI 1000m, gold
- 2020 (2021): Tokyo Olympic Games – K2, gold
- 2020 (2021): Tokyo Olympic Games – K1, 7th
- 2022: Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM)
Bio picture credit BenceVekassy
Phil Jones, Paddle Australia Chief Executive Officer spoke on Tom’s selection:
“What well deserved recognition of our up-and-coming paddling star Tom Green to be chosen for support through one of Australia’s most prestigious scholarship programs. Working with an athlete and role-model like Grant Hackett will be a great opportunity for Tom to continue to grow both as an athlete and as a person.
The Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship tops off an amazing season for Tom. In an impressive last few weeks he has won two gold medals at the U23 canoe sprint world championships, made the K1 final in only his second senior world championships final and secured a quota place for the Olympic Games for Australia through his performance. We are confident that this scholarship will be a fantastic opportunity to progress his career even further.”
