Jo Brigden-Jones is an elite athlete in the sport of sprint kayaking. Since 2004, Jo has respresented Australia every year in international competitions all around the world. Her highlight was racing at the 2012 Olympic Games in London where her K4 crew placed 9th. Racing at the Olympics was an incredible reward for years of commitment and hard work. Jo is one of Australia's most versatile paddlers as she has raced over all sprint distances (200m, 500m & 1000m) in all boat classes (K1, K2 & K4) at various World Championship and World Cup events. Jo has won a World Championship medal and multiple World Cup medals. She also has 40 Australian National Titles to her name. After a successful 2020 domestic season of racing, Jo was named on the Australian Olympic Team, making an Australian Team for a 17th straight year. Her long and successful kayaking career is a testament to Jo’s determination to achieve success at the highest level and the ability overcome many obstacles along the way. In 2016, Jo commenced full time work in her dream career as a paramedic and she has successfully able to combine her work with training commitments and remains a world class paddler. Jo loves the combination of her paramedic career and life as an elite athlete as she finds it has so many benefits perusing both careers simultaneously. The demands and pressure of racing at an Olympic level holds Jo in good stead when responding to big and chaotic jobs as a paramedic.It has't been all fun and games for Jo, with much heartache and adversity along the way. Jo has injured her shoulder on two occasions, requiring reconstructions on both her left and right shoulders. After months of rehab, Jo made successful comebacks to her sport on both occasions. Jo has also had to deal with non selection after missing out on the 2016 & 2008 Olympic Team by one place.
