 Hoskin in 2023 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | New Zealand |
| Born | (2000-02-06)6 February 2000 (age 25) |
| Height | 1.63 m (5 ft 4 in) |
| Sport | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Sport | Sprint kayak |
| Club | North Shore Canoe Club |
| Partner | Elliot Snedden |
| Coached by | Gordon Walker |
Alicia Hoskin (born 6 February 2000) is a New Zealandflatwater canoeist. At the2024 Summer Olympics, she won two gold medals, in theK‑2 500 metres and theK‑4 500 metres events.
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(April 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Born and raised inGisborne, she attendedGisborne Girls' High School where she was the Head Girl (2018). A member of the Poverty Bay Kayak Club there, she was coached by 1984 Olympic sprint canoeistLiz Thompson. She attendedMassey University studying Sport Development.
Hoskin was selected for thejunior canoe sprint world championships in 2017 when, as a 17-year-old, she underwent what was initially thought to be a routine pre-departure health check. Unfortunately, cardiology tests revealedWolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, which is present at birth and can cause rapid heartbeats and even heart failure. Hoskin required a cardiac ablation, a procedure that scars tissue in the heart to block abnormal electrical signals. It involved feeding a catheter up one of the veins in her leg and through the wall of her heart to the other side.[1][2]
Hoskin wanted to continue to compete internationally after the heart surgery and moved toAuckland to train with the Canoe Racing New Zealand high performance squad. Hoskin made her World Championship debut inSzeged inHungary, finishing ninth withCaitlin Ryan at the2019 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships – Women's K-2 500 metres.
In June 2021 Hoskin was one of four women's paddlers selected to the New Zealand team to compete in Tokyo for the delayed2020 Summer Games,[3][4][5] placing 14th in the K2 500m, alongsideTeneale Hatton and 4th in the K4 500m, alongside Hatton,Lisa Carrington, andCaitlin Regal.
At the 2023 Canoe Sprint World Championships in Duisburg, Hoskin won a gold medal in the K‑4 500 metres withLisa Carrington, Olivia Brett and Tara Vaughan. This was a historic win for New Zealand[6] and the sport of canoe sprint, being the first ever time the K4 500 world title had been won by a country outside of the traditional European powerhouses.
In April 2024 Hoskin was named[7] in New Zealands largest ever canoe sprint team[8] for the Paris Olympic winning gold in both thek4 500m ( withLisa Carrington,Olivia Brett andTara Vaughan), andK2 500m withLisa Carrington.
The K4 win was the first by a non European country in Olympic history and the only country outside Germany and Hungary to follow a world championship win with an Olympic gold.[9] In the K2 500, the kiwi pair repeated the gold performance in Tokyo of Carrington and Caitlin Ryan in a commanding win.[10]
Hoskin was named Canoe Sprint Athlete of the Year at the Canoe Racing New Zealand 2020 Sport and Recognition Awards.[citation needed]
