When it comes to passing on the family legacy, Shelley Oates-Wilding is absolutely excelling at the task. Oates-Wilding is an Olympic athlete who competed in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Hailing from Australia, she is a professional kayaker, a skill she is now passing down to her daughter.

Under the careful guidance and support of Shelley Oates-Wilding, her daughter Kali Wilding has now become the no. 1 sprint kayaker in the US. Now, with her mother as her coach, Kali Wilding is hoping to make an appearance and compete at the 2024 Paris Olympics and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

The Wilding pair sets their sights on the Olympics

Shelley Oates-Wilding trained her daughter hard, and the result was, Kali Wilding came in first place when she participated in the national kayaking trials, which were held in April at Lake Natoma in California. Oates-Wilding settled in Hawaii with her family, and that is where she trains her daughter as well, which, according to Kali, is an amazing experience.

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In conversation with KITV representatives, Kali Wilding said, “…getting to get the no. 1 spot at the recent national team trials was a huge moment for me and really showed that putting in the hard work and dedication can really make your dreams come true.” However, she also realizes that this is just the first step in the long journey to the Olympic Games, and she describes making it to the 2028 Olympics to be her “ultimate dream”. In the interview, Oates-Wilding also shared her motivation behind becoming a kayaking coach and a physical education teacher and imparting her wisdom to kids in Hawaii.

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The 2-time Olympian said, “I wanted to really give kids from Hawaii the opportunity to represent Hawaii, represent the United States, and have the wonderful journey I had of going to the Olympic Games.” Kali Wilding is extremely proud of her mom to be her coach. She also revealed that she comes from a family of athletes, with her brother and her father also involved in the sport.

The kayaking journey of Kali Wilding

Kali Wilding has been training with Ikaika Hawaii, a non-profit organization founded and operated by her mother, since she was 12 years old. Since she started competing in the sport of kayaking, Kali has won two ILH kayaking championships. Before competing in kayaking, Kali also trained in and practiced gymnastics for 11 years. To prepare herself for the Olympics, Kali Wilding trains 10-11 times a week.

While she wishes to represent the country at the Olympics, sadly, the kayaking team lost funding from the United States Olympic Committee in 2011. However, Kali hopes that she will help create a team that will be able to get the funding back so that the sport can grow bigger in the United States. Just like her mother, it will be exciting to see Kali Wilding touch great heights in her Olympic career.

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