HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — Known to be a lover of reading and hard work, Michelle Russell, a 29-year-old kayaker, has become one of the best K1 paddlers in Canada. She drew a lot of attention by winning gold and bronze medals in K1 200M and K1 500M, respectively, in the ICF U-23 World Championships held in 2013, becoming the only double medalist on Canada’s home water.

Russell began her kayaking journey at the age of six when her mother signed the whole family up with an aquatic club in 2004.

“I was actually a year too young to start paddling properly, but the club I was at had small numbers in registration, so they just pushed me up and no one said anything,” she said.

She began her sport more seriously at the age of 17 when she secured two gold medals and two silver medals in the Canada Games in 2009. In her first World Cup tour in 2012, she medaled with bronze in K1 500m. She secured triple medals at different events, gold in K4 500m and two silvers in the K1 200M and K1 500M in Pan Am Games held in Toronto in 2015. She has become the first-ever to win a medal of Games for Canada.

Russell concentrated on world championships in 2017 after not getting the selection for the 2016 Rio Olympics. She was a part of the team that qualified Canada for the Tokyo Olympics 2020 in the K4 500M at the Worlds in 2019.

“Michelle is like a quiet assassin,” women’s national kayak team coach Chad Brook said regarding Russell’s preparation for Tokyo. “She’s a reserved person in everyday life, but when the gun goes, she turns into a beast. As a coach, I know I can trust that Michelle will race well and if she’s does make a mistake, it will fuel her for the next race.”

In the Tokyo Olympics, she competed in three events and was a B finalist in the K1 200M and performed well in the K1 500M and K4 500M.

While performing, Russell does not care about the weather, and she is crazy to compete even in the worst weather conditions.

“One of the things about paddling is we have personal bests and world record times, but it’s not like swimming where it’s very consistent,” she said. “Because paddling is an outdoor sport, you deal with different conditions. I say it’s like an elemental sport because whatever the weather is that day is what you’re going to race in as long as it’s not thunder and lightning or the wind doesn’t exceed 50 kilometers an hour.”

Russell followed the desire of her grandmother to be a kayaking sprinter. She wanted to become a paddler but her religious background prohibited her from paddling. That was not an issue with Russell. Her family is always a great support to make her dreams a reality. She also believes that competing in the warmth of home water especially, before family and friends, brings more spirit to her sports life.

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