Sammy Lourey sits in a laboratory, face mask in place, kayak handles in her grasp.

The 19-year-old is undergoing a VO2 max test, which measures the maximum or optimum rate at which the heart, lungs, and muscles can effectively use oxygen during exercise.

Under the supervision of a sports scientist, Lourey will gradually increase her speed on the kayak machine until the test is complete.

Lourey is a scholarship holder in kayak at the Western Australian Institute of Sport (WAIS).

“I started in a swimming and surf life saving background, and in surf life saving they have a component called surf skis, which is very similar to a kayak except it’s on the ocean,” she said.

“I tried that, but I was really struggling with it and I was feeling really demotivated.”

Lourey’s coach at the Trigg Surf Club encouraged her to attend a try-out day at WAIS.

“If you get in, you can give kayaking a go, work on your technique, and hopefully that will make you better on surf skis,” she said.

That was four years ago.

“It turns out I really enjoyed kayaking, and now I pretty much do that full-time,” Lourey said.

Lourey’s talent was evident early, and she demonstrated that by winning a national title at her first attempt.

While the teenager has an eye on reaching the biggest stage, she’s just happy competing in the sport.

“Obviously the Olympic Games is the dream, like LA maybe or Brisbane, but honestly for me, it’s just about enjoying it and reaching my full potential,” she said.

Uncovering hidden talent

Lourey’s progression has been unusual and rapid, considering her coach did not see any innate talent for kayaking in her when she first arrived — something he said was actually a good thing.

“You want to see those athletes that have got that grit and that perseverance,” WAIS’s canoeing head coach Ramon Andersson said.

“Our kayaks are very tippy and you’re always going to get wet. You’re always going to fall in the water.”

Andersson said coaches were not necessarily looking for skilled athletes when they first joined a program.

“It can quite often be that athlete that gets the balance a little bit later and then starts sort of progressing through the group.

“You might have an athlete that’s done a little bit of paddling before, they’re always going to be that person that’s at the front of the group. But somebody that hasn’t paddled but has better physical attributes, in time, they’ll sort of shine through.”

That has been the case with Lourey, and Andersson believes she’s on a path to making an Olympic team.

“She’s on a trajectory that could put her into that space. [LA 2028] is a stretched target, but it’s not impossible,” he said.

“Brisbane [in 2032], I think that will be her sweet spot.”

Finding the next generation

While Lourey’s move from surf life saving to kayaking came at the suggestion of a coach, she still went through the talent identification pathway.

Recently, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) held a similar day at the WAIS campus, putting more than 100 athletes aged between 13 and 23 through a series of tests.

“Post the Paris Olympics, the AIS are holding these talent search days in each state across the country,” talent search coordinator Daniel Astridge said.

“We test athletes from the ages of 13 to 23 through a basic range of athletic ability tests to determine what their characteristics would say which sports they are good at.”

Athletes nominate themselves through an online portal and are then invited in for testing.

They have to complete five tests — a vertical jump, a medicine ball throw, a 20-metre sprint and a beep test — and are also measured for height and wingspan.

The testing is designed to gather data on the athletes’ lower and upper body power, speed and endurance.

Coaches then use the data to identify if an athlete would be suited to any particular sport.

“[The coaches] have got years and years of experience of understanding what makes a good athlete within their sport,” Astridge said.

“So they’ll use their expertise and their experience to identify which athletes from today they would like to invite to their programs.”

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