How AIS Engineering is uplifting Para-Paddling

Teen Para-paddler Griffin has been in the sport for just 12 months but has already made rapid progress thanks to support from the AIS Engineering team. 

The 14-year-old, part of the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS) Para Unit after progressing through the Fast Track program, has flourished on the water since being equipped with a universal set-up created by AIS Engineers to connect his prosthesis to the boat. 

“He just looks like an able-bodied athlete out in the water with the way he uses his legs now,” WAIS Paddle Head Coach Ramon Anderson said. 

“His overall endurance has picked up because he's getting a more even application of power and power being applied to the stroke each time. 

“It’s early days, but how well he’s taken to the sport and how quickly he’s progressed, he’s right up there amongst the best athletes I’ve seen in my almost 25-year coaching career.” 

The idea for the set-up began when Paddle Australia sports scientist Stewart Crewe approached the AIS Engineering team looking for a solution to give people with lower limb amputations a better first experience in paddling. 

“The idea behind this project was to allow people with lower limb amputations to be able to get in a kayak or a canoe and evaluate the sport with a greater connection and comfort in the boat,” AIS Engineering Lead Andy Richardson said. 

“We designed the system to be as universal as possible. We have 3D printed joints that simulate a knee joint and an ankle joint, and a telescopic carbon fibre tube that can be extended or shortened to reproduce the limb length required to fit anyone to the boat as best as possible.” 

Anderson said the prosthetic set up has been a “game changer”. 

“Now we know if we’ve got somebody coming down who wants to try paddling, we can fit this to their spare prosthetic, put it in the boat, adjust it to length and away they go.” 

Projects like the one accelerating Griffin’s progress are being delivered through the Para Uplift, a national initiative led by the AIS in partnership with Paralympics Australia, state and territory sport institutes and academies, and national sporting organisations. 

The Australian Government has invested an additional $54.9 million in Para-sport, doubling previous investment, to fund the Para Uplift. The initiative aims to make Brisbane 2032 Australia’s most successful Paralympic Games. 

In addition to increased engineering support, the Para Uplift has established Para Sport Units in every state and territory, expanded classification opportunities, improved access to fit-for-purpose training environments and delivered specialised coaching and performance support. 

“The Para Uplift is changing how we see sport in this country,” AIS Director Matti Clements said. 

“To see Griffin on the water with a big smile on his face is exactly what the investment was for. Money going directly to Para-athletes and changing individual lives.” 

Learn more about the Para Uplift here.  

View the Para Uplift AIS Engineering series here, opens in a new tab.