National selection after her second kayak marathon race   

Congratulations to 2024 CCG graduate, Alexis Jane, who has been selected to represent Australia in the World Kayak Championships in Argentina in October. Alexis will compete in the Under-23 kayak marathon event. 

“It’s a surreal feeling to represent my country, let alone at the world championships. I’m beyond proud and excited to race overseas,” Alexis said. 

Before being selected, Alexis wasn’t a regular competitor in the marathon event.  

“My first marathon kayak race was back in 2023, though I didn’t compete again until these past nationals in Canberra where I placed second in the U23 Kayak long course race. It was my second ever marathon race, and from that I was selected to represent Australia.” 

Alexis said the marathon kayak event is a one-off race with around 50 starters. The course is 21.8 km long and consists of six laps of a 3.6km loop with a portage after each lap and a short 1km loop to finish. During a portage competitors must jump out of their boats, pick them up and sprint with them for around 200m and then jump back in. Last year’s winner completed the course in 1:43.01 which is 4:42min per kilometre.  

“As I haven’t competed at the worlds before, I don’t yet have a world ranking. Not having raced against any of the other women before, it’s hard to know what chance I might have of finishing high up on the leaderboard, but I’m putting in some really solid training at the moment and have been getting faster.  

“I am hoping to get in the thick of it, I’m looking to give it my absolute all, and I want to be proud of the race I complete – knowing that I made the right tactical decisions, being competitive and leaving it all out on the water.”  

Tactics and training 

Tactical decisions are crucial in this sport – somewhat akin to professional cycling.  

“The decisions you make during the race are critical. When to surge, placement in the pack, when to go and when to wait, when to take a lead. All these things can make or break your race. Conserving your energy is paramount,” Alexis said.  

Training schedules for elite level athletes can be gruelling anytime, and they intensify in the lead up to major competitions.  Alexis is training 15 times a week – seven kayak sessions on the Barwon River (aiming for a peak of 120km/week), two gym sessions, one run and one cross trainer session (bike or row), as well as a couple of portage practice sessions.  

Pictured here and above – Alexis competing in the Kayaking Nationals in Canberra where she placed second. She was then selected to represent Australia at the World Kayak Championships in Argentina in October 2026.

Overwhelming support 

Alexis said she has been overwhelmed with the level of support she has experienced since her national selection was announced.  

“It makes me feel very proud of all the hard work I have done to make it into this position. The amount of people who have come out and have been watching my journey unbeknownst to me has been surprising, and their generosity since has been overwhelming,” she said. 

“The support from my coaches Sean McGee and Ivor Morgan has been incredible, and where they have brought me in such a small amount of time working together has been really cool to see. I feel very fortunate to have them guiding me through this process and have learnt so much from both of them.” 

Alexis is also currently fundraising via the Australian Sports Foundation to support her trip to Argentina. For more information or to donate, please click here. 

Alexis reflects on her time at CCG, and beyond

“I attended CCG from Prep, commencing in 2012 all the way through to Year 12, which I completed in 2024. 

Some of my best memories of Christian College are: 

• Homeroom with Mr Lewis from Year 10-12 at Senior School. I loved our homeroom and looked forward to the activities with my classmates because I felt like over the three years we created a really great bond as a class. 

• Systems Engineering Classes with Mr O’Kelly – Mr O’Kelly always had a way of keeping class fun and engaging. His classes inspired me to pursue engineering as a career.  

• Timor Leste Prefects’ trip in 2024, very eye-opening and a life-changing experience.  

• Year 4 we did a bike ride to the Barwon River for Bicyle Education, we had Sam Johnson from Love Your Sister join us and we raised funds for breast cancer. It was a great day and supported a great cause. 

I met many amazing people at CCG, including my boyfriend of over three years, Marlon Freeman. He has supported me immensely during this journey. Driving me to training camps across Australia (Sydney and Albury) and travelling to national events such as the 2026 Australian Surf Life Saving Championships to cheer me on. As well as all that, supporting me on the day-to-day journey preparing for the World Championships. 

I also met some amazing friends who I still keep in regular contact with. They have all been so supportive and encouraging throughout this process and I am so lucky to have them by my side.”

“After graduating in 2024, I received an offer from RMIT to study a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering (Honours)/Business. I deferred this offer until 2026 to take a gap year. During my gap year I travelled to Europe for two months, went to the snow for the first time and spent my days working and training. I was also given the honour of being patrol captain for the 2025/2026 patrolling season at Jan Juc SLSC.” 

Not only was Alexis patrol captain, she was honoured at the Jan Juc SLSC Presentation Ball with awards for: 

• Best competitor at the Victorian State Championships  

• Best competitor(s) at the Australian Championships (shared with Lani Steel for their double ski race) 

• Most outstanding competitor overall 

The CCG community wishes Alexis well for the World Championships in Argentina in October!