Olympic hopeful canoeist Zach Lokken working toward qualifying
GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. (KREX) — Zach Lokken, a slalom canoeist, is on a mission to return to the Summer Olympics this year in Paris after finishing seventh at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Growing up in Durango, Colorado, Zach fell in love with canoeing after his parents started volunteering to judge whitewater slalom races. Zach tells WesternSlopeNow Durango’s unique river conditions from snow melt helped him hone his craft in tricky water conditions. Now, those same waters are helping Zach train for a second Olympic run.
Up next for Zach, he will travel to Montgomery, Alabama in April for Olympic team trials, and then a final stop in Oklahoma City will decide if he’ll qualify.
If Zach qualifies, he tells WesternSlopeNow, he hopes to improve upon his seventh-place finish in Tokyo.
Really just to improve on what I did in Tokyo. So, if it was fifth I’d still be happy because I improved and it would still be great. But obviously, I want, my dream is to be on the podium and I know I can achieve that.
Zach Lokken, Tokyo Olympics Finalist
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