One of the first teams to register for the IRF World Rafting Championship in Tully, Australia this coming May, River Face have been growing strength on strength each year with an impressive medal tally of Bronze (Sprint), Silver (Head-to-Head), Gold (Downriver) and Overall Silver at last year’s Championship in Argentina. So do you want to know who you’re up against in the competition? This week we’re meeting the Japanese Open Women’s team – The River Face.
Who is in the team for Australia and have we met them before?
Four of the team are the same team who competed in Argentina.
- Masayo Abe – front left – raft guide – paddling for 14 years
- Hiromi Asai – front right – physical therapist – paddling for 12 years
- Rie Funadi – middle right – raft guide – paddling for 6years
- Yuri Yasunaga middle left – raft guide – paddling for 6years
And we have two friends joining us to make up the six:
- Yuki Saito – back right – raft guide – paddling for 22 years
- Takae Mori – back left – raft guide – paddling for 20 years
With this six, we are hoping to win in Australia 😃
What’s your training plan been?
We all have “day jobs” so we have to train early morning before work starts.
Following your successes in Argentina, have you made any changes to your training plan?
We’re still doing the same on water training but have increased our personal training time.
Which teams are you most looking forward to competing against?
All teams! Especially Great Britain, Russia, Czech, and New Zealand.
What is your prediction for winners in the Open Men and Open women categories?
Japan! We hope.
The River Face are our River Family. Are You?
#AreYouReady #RaftersAreAwesome #RiverFamily #StrongerTogether #WeAreIRF
We’re looking for more stories of River Family – if you have a story to tell, email Sean with your story and photos.
