EDDY OUT

Nouria Newman -- French Whitewater Kayaker, Extreme Kayaking World Champion & Astral Teammate

Episode Summary

This is my last featured episode during Women’s History month honoring my fellow Astral teammate and kayaking legend Nouria Newman. Nouria is an all around master of her craft. From canoeing to freestyle to extreme kayaking and expeditions, Nouria excels at everything she puts her mind to. I wanted to get her on the podcast as a tribute to her and her many accomplishments both on and off the water. In this episode we talk about about Nouria’s childhood, first memories of the river, her relationship to kayaking and how she continues to push boundaries all around the world.

Episode Notes

Follow Nouria on: Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube

Nouria's Sponsors/Brand Partnerships: Red Bull, Astral Designs, Waka Kayaks, Sweet Protection, Werner Paddles & Pack Raft Europe

Iceland Project post on instagram

 

Mentors/Friends

Fabien Lefevre, Nicole Mansfield & Katrina Van Wijk, Rush Sturges and Ben Stookesberry

 

Nouria's 2 Major Opportunities in Life

Winning the Whitewater Grand Prix in Chile

Running "Site Zed" of the Grand Canyon of the Stakin

 

About Nouria:

Meet Nouria, a bad-ass kayaker who’s definitely on the short-list of the most progressive kayakers out there, regardless of gender. Nouria Newman combines a surprising adeptness at playing on white waters with an endless thirst for discovering new horizons.

While most paddlers struggle to master just one sport, Nouria Newman combines several of them. She competes in canoe, freestyle and extreme kayaking, and excels in each and every one of them. Her achievements in the various disciplines prove she’s one of a kind. 

In 2013 she won the Ottawa XL, one of the most important freestyle world meetings, followed that by taking K-1 silver at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships, and just a few months later she was crowned extreme kayaking world champion. The following year she won team gold at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships and team bronze at the European Championships. In 2016 she was runner-up at the Sickline Extreme Kayak World Championships and in 2017 took first place at the GoPro Mountain Games Steep Creek Championships.

As if competition wasn't enough for the seemingly inexhaustible athlete, Nouria ventured on a solo kayaking trip down the Tsarap, Zanskar and Indus rivers in the Himalayas in August 2018. During the week-long adventure she says she "cried, laughed and talked to myself like a crazy person."

It’s hard to understand how such an outstanding athlete would have any spare time to partake in any 'normal' activities, but she also has a masters in journalism and political science from Sciences Po Toulouse. “Journalism is actually very similar to kayaking,” she says. “You always have to adapt!” But that’s Nouria, always where you least expect her.