Paddlers from around the world have arrived in Penrith ahead of the ICF Slalom World Championships Sydney 2025, with only six days to go until the event gets underway.

Official training has commenced at Penrith Whitewater Stadium, the Aussies today taking to their home course surrounded by international competitors from around the world.

For World Championships debutant Ben Ross, the chance to prepare and race his first senior World Championships at home is something he’s not taking for granted.

“Feeling super excited - it's all starting to feel real now. It's really coming together - the venues set up incredibly and I’m super excited to get going,” Ross said.

“ It's super exciting to be on our home course, confident and ready to compete against the world's best.

“As they say in Canoe Slalom, every course is different and Penrith is a super special course. It’s close to a lot of our hearts. I've trained here a lot as have the rest of the team.

“That home course advantage is really something that can't be counted out. We've trained here every day, we're super familiar with the water and I can't wait to give it our all,” he said.

Sarah Crosbee was called up to the Australian team just last week, following the withdrawal of Jessica Fox.

It’s all about making the most of the opportunity to race at home in front of family and friends for Crosbee, and the privilege of it being her first senior World Championships experience isn’t lost on her.

“Just having a World Championships is very special and for it to be a Home Worlds is even more incredible,” Crosbee said.

 “It means a lot - I really didn't think anything would be happening like this at the start of the year. I just had my first Senior World Cups and this is just another step up, it’s unreal.

“In Europe, it's pretty far for family and friends to travel and for them to be able to experience this is, it's really good,” she said.

The ICF Slalom World Championships Sydney 2025 will get underway from 29 September through until 4 October.

With medals to be awarded on every day of competition, it’s shaping up to be an action packed six days of racing featuring close to 250 athletes from 40 nations. Get your tickets today at sydney2025.com/tickets.

Image by: JGR Images