JADE Page will now step up preparation for the Dragon Boat world championships to be held in Thailand in August following her success in the Australian titles held in Canberra.
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This will be the 15-year-old's second trip to the world event after she represented Australia in France in 2017.
Jade finished with a gold, silver and two bronze medals in Canberra.
She is the Manning River Times-Iguana Sportstar of the Week, earning a $50 open order at Iguana.
Jade competed in a team called the Aussie Joeys at the nationals.
"Many of our regional dragon boat clubs don't have enough junior paddlers to compete at the Australian championships,'' she explained.
"The Aussie Joeys brought together 40 junior paddlers from across Australia, including Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, the ACT and NSW. We met for the first time on Sunday, so we didn't get to train together. Our first paddle as a team was on the way to the starting line."
Some of the toughest competition came from Sydney Zodiacs and Sandy Point/Danebank, who are able to train as a team at least three times a week.
So, being able to place in so many races was a great accomplishment for the Aussie Joeys.
Jade raced in raced in 2km, 500m and 200m events in the mixed and women's categories in both 20 and 10 paddler teams.
Jade was also excited to receive her Australian uniform at the regatta for the Australian Junior Dragon Boat team.
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Training now steps up with regular trips to Sydney to train with the Australian coach in preparation for the world championships.
Dragon boat racing is a family affair, as Jade's mum, brother and two aunts were involved in the sport. She went from watching on the riverbank to paddling, starting at the minimum age of 12.
And she was obviously a quick learner.
Jade was named in the Australian under 16 team to compete in France when she was just 13 and she was the youngest paddler in the team.
The team won two gold, a silver and a bronze medals at the championships.
Jade was one of three Manning dragon boat paddlers who represented Australia in France. She was joined by her brother, Sean along with Alistair Adamson.
However, Jade doesn't limit herself to dragon boat paddling.
She also enjoys playing netball with the Cundletown club while she has taken up rowing as part of her training regimen for Thailand.
She is in Year 10 at St Clare's High School.
