Ally Clarke

An affinity for going fast just above the surface of the water rather than in it – plus a timely intervention by Olympic gold medallist Kenny Wallace – sent sprint kayaker Ally Clarke on the path to the Paris Games.

A sporty kid growing up on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, Ally excelled at netball and found surf life saving when she was 11.

“It was a great way to meet new people, keep fit and spend time at the beach,” she said. “I always had the dream of becoming a professional ironwoman, looking up to my idol Courtney Hancock. Unfortunately, I sink instead of swim, plus craft is way more fun! Since hopping on a ski my favourite leg went from board paddling to ski paddling.”

Ally was training for the Coolangatta Gold when Kenny turned up on the Sunshine Coast.

“I was training for the Cooly Gold in a surf ski, and Kenny said, ‘Oh, you can paddle. You should hop in a kayak’,” she said.

“And then Kenny sent me to a national regatta. And from then on, it was just kayaking for me. I loved kayaking so much that I decided straight away, I'm just going to keep sticking with it.

“And now, to be able to do a sport that can take me overseas and give me so many other opportunities and the chance to meet so many people, it's so crazy. I love it.”

After moving to the Gold Coast to train with the Australian sprint kayak team in 2022, success came quickly.
Ally teamed up with experienced Olympian Aly Bull, Ella Beere and Yale Steinepreis to claim silver in the K4 500 at the 2022 world championships in Canada.

The following year, in a red-hot women’s K4 500 field, Ally, Ella, Yale and Aly confirmed their place in Paris when they finished fifth at the 2023 world championships in Germany.

Ally says the reassuring presence of such an experienced Olympian as Aly in the boat is a great confidence boost.

“It’s a really good dynamic having Aly in the boat,” she said. “She helps control how the boat runs and just settles our nerves.”

Off the water, Ally is working to complete an honours degree in occupational therapy through the University of the Sunshine Coast.

“It is such a rewarding job where you get to have a positive impact on people’s lives,” she said. “I also love spending time trying new things and testing myself. I am always looking for a new challenge.”