Claire O’Hara receives MBE in New Year Honours!

With an impressive tally of 8 Gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals at the ICF World Freestyle Championships and 4 European Freestyle Championship Gold medals, Claire O’Hara (current World Champion) is the most successful British freestyle kayaker in history and the most successful female freestyle kayaker in the world.

Currently holding the world record for the highest competitive women’s score in both the K1 and Squirt disciplines; she is an inspiration to paddlers across the globe.

It’s not just her impressive career spanning over 10 years that brings her acclaim. Despite being a full time athlete Claire’s impressive capabilities make her assistance invaluable at all levels of the sport, as a coach, on committees, judge training, event organiser and in the media promoting freestyle paddlesport.

In 2017 she was appointed to the International Canoe Federation (ICF) Athlete Committee (tasked with representing the interests of their fellow athletes at ICF meetings and in discussions about the future direction of competitive canoeing) Claire has been named as the Leeds Sports Woman of the Year four times, and been presented with five British Canoeing Athlete Recognition Awards.

In 2016 Claire was named as the Yorkshire Sports Women of the Year and invited to become a member of the World Paddle Awards Academy, an exclusive body of sporting legends and figureheads within paddle sport; representing a prestigious achievement and recognition of her contributions to the sport.

Despite being a full time athlete Claire continues to help run and organise events, to develop educational resources and to help coach, mentor support athletes and paddlers of all ages and abilities around the world.

Manny Congratulations, GB Freestyle Team