Canoeing couple chase Olympic dream together

It is a love story as old as time. Boy meets girl, they fall in love and get married.

And then they try to qualify for the Olympics... together.

That is the plot line for Jake and Georgina Cochrane's journey, which they hope will lead them to the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

Belfast native Jake and Georgina (Genie), from Perth in Australia, are both canoe slalomists and they met on the circuit seven years ago.

"I was lucky enough to get an invite to an Irish team evening outing in Prague," explained Genie.

"I remember being very struck by the way Jake was very reserved, but then every now and then he would speak up. Whenever he did, he had something very important to say.

"I remember at the time thinking to myself, that he just has such a lovely demeanour about him."

Georginia explained that they got to know each other while they were both living in Pau, France and had their first date during the week of the World Cup in Prague in 2021.

Two years later, Jake proposed in Prague and they had their wedding in Pau the following year.

"It was [love at first sight] for me," said Jake.

"I'm very lucky. We were introduced by the Australian team physio, who was from Galway at the time, back in 2019 and I remember it very clearly, but I'm not convinced Genie remembers being introduced to me so I keep her going about that."

Their relationship transcends the sport but they share the goal of qualifying for the Olympics together in 2028.

Jake has been down this path before, narrowly missing out in an Irish internal race-off for one place in the C1 event at the Paris Games two years ago.

"I'd say Tokyo [Olympics in 2021], I was sort of on the edge of being in it then. I felt like I had an outside chance," he said.

"Then Paris was the one that I was really pushing for and was pretty disappointed then that I didn't make it.

"In terms of keeping going, I'd say, love of the sport. It's hard to describe it. Being on the water, training every day, it's a really fun way to spend your life."

He added: "Seeing the results improve outside of the Olympics, making multiple World Cup finals over the last couple of years, and seeing that progression, it just makes me hungry to make that big stage of the Olympics.

"I'm pretty motivated for the next two years to try and push on for that in a way that is a bit nicer now that we're hopefully going to do it together. It's really exciting as well."

Genie's transfer from Australia to Ireland was completed earlier this year and she recently made her debut on the World Cup circuit for her adopted country.

"I didn't dream of the Olympics. I dreamt of World Cups and world championships and it's only been really the last year that I've started to dream of that again. That dream is just wrapped up with doing it with Jake," she said.

"I watched Jake's 2024 Olympic selections, and, like, it was an inch. That's all it was. It was an inch. I watched him throw down this amazing run thinking he was going to do it and then watching him throw his head back and miss the gate by an inch.

"The disappointment's compounded because I'm disappointed for him. He's disappointed for him. So I'm really hoping that the excitement's compounded next time."

The Olympic qualification window opens in July with the World Championships at the 2028 venue in Oklahoma City.

There will be nine events over a 15-month period with the best five results counting. The top 10 nations in Jake's C1 event will qualify for the Games.

Genie will compete in both the C1 and K1 events needing top-10 and top-six finishes respectively. She will also give kayak-cross a go as well.

Further places at the Games will be allocated at the European Championships and the final global qualification event in 2028.

"I'm so excited to do it with Jake. I think quietly that we've just been training so hard over this winter, and I can't wait to watch what you do and I hope I get to do the same," said Genie.

Jake added: "I think it kind of takes, not the pressure off succeeding, but I think OK, if things didn't go my way, does it matter much? Like, we have an exciting life ahead of us outside of sport.

"Whereas if it does go our way, it's very exciting for the next two years to be looking at that qualification system and giving it our best shot."