A decade ago Dylan Littlehales was a skinny 15-year-old kid shaking with nerves as he lined up in his kayak to compete at his first ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan.
This year he will return to Italy and the same start line at the Idroscalo Regatta Course, this time as a seasoned three-time Paralympian and World Champion.
The Bond University Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) student claimed his first international medal at the 2022 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships and followed it up with a silver medal in the KL3 200m event at the 2024 Paris Paralympics.
Born with a deficiency in his right leg, Littlehales was part of the inaugural Australian Paralympic sprint canoe team after the sport was added to the Paralympic program for the 2016 Rio Games.
“When I was 14 my uncle Mike Druce was the head coach for the Australian slalom team. He used to take us out paddling in the school holidays,” Littlehales said.
“Kayaking had just become a Paralympic event at the time, so he helped me get into my first boat.
“I started training and after two years I went to my first Paralympics which was Rio in 2016.”
Originally from NSW, Littlehales made the move to the Gold Coast three years ago to train with the Australian Institute of Sport under two-time Olympic sprint canoeist Anna Wood.
“It made sense for me to come up to train with the AIS. They have better access to facilities and the whole senior team is up here, which is great,” he said.
After a Bachelor of Psychological Science at the University of Newcastle, Littlehales is now completing his Honours at Bond and hopes to work with sporting organisations.
“I’d like to go into the sport scenes working with entire sporting organisations, just not with the athletes but also with the coaches and the backroom staff,” he said.
After three Paralympics there's no slowing down for Littlehales who has his eyes set on taking home a Paralympic gold and paddling at the next two Paralympics, LA in 2028 and at home in Brisbane in 2032.