Luuka Jones

Luuka Jones (born 18 October 1988) is a New Zealand slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 2006.

She is a five-time Olympian and has won a silver medal in the K1 event at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Early life Jones was born in Tauranga in 1988. Her mother Denise Jones was a fan of the British actress Audrey Hepburn and Luuka Jones was named after Hepburn's second son, Luca Dotti. Her father is Rod Jones and she has three sisters. She was brought up adjacent to the Wairoa River. She took up kayaking at age ten and received lessons from Waimarino Adventure Park nearby.

Canoeing career Jones started competing in 2003 at age 14. Jones recorded her 4th Olympic participation at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo where she started in both women's events. She finished 6th in the final of the K1 event and 13th in the C1 event after being eliminated in the semifinal. At her 5th Olympics in 2024 in Paris, she finished 8th in the K1 event and 5th in kayak cross.

Jones won a bronze medal in the K1 event at the 2019 ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships in La Seu d'Urgell.

World Cup individual podiums SeasonDateVenuePositionEvent 2009 1 February 2009 Mangahao 2nd K11 2019 22 June 2019 Bratislava 2nd K1 2021 5 September 2021 La Seu d'Urgell 2nd Kayak cross 2023 8 October 2023 Vaires-sur-Marne 1st Kayak cross

1 Oceania Championship counting for World Cup points

Personal life Jones moved to England at age 17 to further her canoe career She studies business extramurally at Massey University, majoring in communication. She receives sponsorship from businesses based in Tauranga. Apart from canoe, Jones enjoys surfing, mountain biking and making sushi.