Ottawa’s Ryan Naroditsky is a rising star in Canada’s sprint kayaking scene. As he continues to train, his eyes are on representing Ottawa and Canada on the world stage.

Naroditsky, originally from Montreal, has always been involved in sports. Whether it was soccer, jujitsu, swimming, or sprint kayaking, he has always wanted to be in motion.

“In my friend group, we would always go outside and play tag or some kind of sport,” he said. “I always liked being outdoors.”

More than that, though, he has always been drawn to water. Until he was 14, swimming was his main sport. His favourite pastime is also water-related: he loves to fish.

Once Naroditsky moved to Ottawa, however, he began to lose his enthusiasm for swimming.

“I started to get tired of it and I fell out of love with it,” he said.

He still wanted to remain active, though, and so he and his family looked for other sports that he could try over the summer. 

After visiting the Rideau Canoe Club, Naroditsky discovered sprint kayaking and decided he wanted to give it a try.
“At first, I just kept falling in,” he said. “The boats were very tippy.”

For the first few weeks, he wasn’t convinced that the sport was for him. He continued to work at it and began to improve.

“I started getting better and better, and then I started liking it,” Naroditsky said. From there on, it was my sport.”

Naroditsky initially trained simply because he enjoyed the sport. His first year coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that there weren’t many opportunities for him to compete. In 2022, he decided to take sprint kayaking to the next level, and the accolades started pouring in.

After roughly a year of serious training, Naroditsky finished fifth in the K-1 500-metre event at Nationals. That success gave him the new goal of becoming the fastest in the country.

He found motivation in his teammates and other young Canadian sprint kayakers who were already competing at the highest levels. He also looked up to Canadian Olympic athletes, including Adam van Koeverden, one of the most decorated and recognizable sprint kayakers.

While his dream is to compete in the Olympics, Naroditsky prefers to focus on the process rather than becoming consumed by a particular outcome.

“I just want to go as fast as I can,” he said. “I want to train as hard as possible and to be the best that I can be.”

That mindset will be on full display later this month when the Canadian Sprint Canoe Kayak Championships take place at the Rideau Canoe Club at Mooney’s Bay from August 25 to 29. 

The event will give local supporters and opportunity to watch Naroditsky and other athletes compete on home water. Spectators can watch from Mooney’s Bay Park and the beach, including areas near the finish line, or from the club’s balcony.

For Naroditsky, having people in his corner has always been an important part of his athletic journey. He credits his parents for making his success possible, from waking up before dawn to prepare breakfast and drive him to practice, to supporting training camps and balancing his athletic commitments with school.

“Without them, it wouldn’t be possible to train my hardest and accomplish all of the goals I have,” he said.

As Nationals approach, Naroditsky is focusing on being the fastest and representing Ottawa to the best of his abilities.