A Kiwi teenager has just won a world kayaking title for his epic paddling in the stunning whitewater landscapes of New Zealand.
George Snook, 18, was named 2021 Whitewater Grom of the Year at the Whitewater Awards, which are peer voted by some of the world's top kayakers.
The award is based on a rider's own highlight reel, so in-between slalom training at Auckland's Wero Park, Snook spent the past year heading into the wilderness to get the money shot with his skeleton crew.
One of those missions saw Snook tackle the biggest drop of his life, the 25 metre Tauranga-Taupo Falls.
"There's definitely points where I'm like...is this worth it? But usually, like once I've made my mind, it's time to go and just make sure I'm focussed on what I'm doing instead of focussing on what the outcome could be," Snook told 1 NEWS.
While all the free falling, laps of Huka Falls and freestyle cobra flips have earned Snook the kudos of his peers, he is still desperate to take his paddle to the world.
"I really hope to go race Junior World Championships later in the year in Europe but with Covid obviously it's a little bit up in the air, and just go and start racing some senior races and giving the big dogs a run for their money," Snook said.
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