- Bronze in kayak cross: Hegge writes Olympic history
Noah Hegge shouts in joy and strikes his paddle three times on his canoe. The 25-year-old surprisingly won bronze in the Olympic debut of kayak cross, only losing to Olympic champion Finn Butcher from New Zealand and British Joseph Clarke in the Paris Summer Games.
Before that, Elena Lilik finished fourth in the women's final and Ricarda Funk failed in the quarterfinals. The races, which sometimes appeared chaotic, with four athletes competing against each other on the course in Vaires-sur-Marne, were held for the first time in the Olympic program.
From Konditor to Sportsoldat
Before today's sports soldier Hegge fully focused on canoe slalom, he completed a classic apprenticeship as a pastry chef. That's also where his love for coffee comes from. "For me, the definition of a perfect cake is one that you can eat not just one piece and be stuffed, but the whole thing because it's so light, airy, and delicious," Hegge said with a grin.
Own Fashion Brand
Since the home World Championships in Augsburg in 2022, Hegge has also been a fashion entrepreneur. "My siblings and I, we're three, we just wanted to promote our sport in a different way and push it forward - with fashion. Not necessarily with a big face, but with design," said Hegge, who almost always wears a wool beanie, even if it's 30 degrees Celsius. "With Marino wool, it's nice because it also cools a bit."
Despite his success in kayak cross, Noah Hegge remains hesitant about attending subsequent events, stating, "I'm not going to participate in every Olympic Games." After a long day of practice, Hegge prefers to return home and enjoy his preferred pastime, "I'm not going to spend my evenings baking cakes anymore."
