Winning a breakthrough silver medal in the Men’s KL3 200m at the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup earlier this month has reinforced the belief in Finn Murphy that he can compete with the world’s best.
The below-the-knee amputee, who made his international debut just 12 months ago, exceeded expectations to climb the podium in Germany. Competing against many of the sport’s leading Para canoeists, Murphy delivered a standout performance and now looks ahead to the 2026 ICF World Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Poznan, Poland, and LA28, with renewed confidence.
“Leading into Brandenburg I had a lot of anxiety and doubts creeping into my mind — was I good enough, was I even in the right Para sport?” Finn explains. “I’m still so new to the Para sport, and there’s definitely been an element of imposter syndrome. But after winning silver, I feel validated. I’ve gained confidence, and I know that will translate into improvements in training and better results down the line.”
After winning the B Final on his World Cup debut in Poznan 12 months ago, Murphy went on to finish ninth in the A Final at the 2025 World Championships in Milan – a result he was satisfied with in his first international season.
Working closely with coaches Gavin Elmiger and Emily Willock ahead of the 2026 campaign, the former non-disabled rower knew he had improved as a Para canoeist. Even so, he expected a “middle-of-the-pack” finish in Brandenburg.
“I was confident – although not 100 percent confident – that I could make the A Final,” he says. “But realistically I thought a good result would be fifth or sixth, so to come away with joint silver, I’m pretty stoked.”
Crucially, Murphy believes a significant mindset shift ahead of his heats proved decisive in helping him perform at his best.
“I realised I needed to stop putting so much pressure on myself,” he says. “Sport is supposed to be fun and, really, there’s nothing riding on it. As soon as I purged the negative thoughts, I was able to execute my best race.”
Murphy produced an excellent opening heat, finishing second in 44.09 – just 0.09 behind Brazil’s Miqueias Elias Rodriguez – to progress to the semifinals. Acknowledging that his heavier build makes starts more challenging, he trusted his strength through the second half of the race.
That strategy paid off in the semifinal, where he powered home to win convincingly by 0.36 seconds over Spain’s Juan Antonio Valle.
“Going into the A Final, I felt like I’d figured out the processes I needed to execute three good races,” he says. “Looking back, I probably executed the semifinal even better than the final. My start wasn’t quite as clean, but by the 100m mark I knew where I stood relative to the guys beside me, and I was ahead of both of them.
“From there it was just a matter of holding on. With 50 metres to go it started to get really hard, but it’s amazing how, when you know you’re doing well, you can tap into an extra energy source.”
Murphy crossed the line unaware of his finishing position, but a late surge lifted him into a tie for silver alongside Rodriguez in 44.91, while Georgia’s Serhii Yemelianov claimed gold in 44.14.
“When I looked up at the scoreboard and saw I’d won silver, I was chuffed,” he says. “I felt like I’d executed the race well and I was stoked with how it went, but I’d definitely surprised myself.”
The result also earned valuable qualification points in his long-term pursuit of a place at LA28. His next major international test will come at the World Championships in Poznan in August.
For now, however, Murphy is determined to maintain the same calm approach that proved so effective in Brandenburg.
“What I learned there is that putting too much pressure on myself is counterproductive,” he says. “So, I’m going into Worlds with the same growth mindset. Finishing second at a World Cup is a good sign that things are heading in the right direction, but, ultimately, I want to be the fastest in the field. As long as I’m tracking towards that, I’m happy.”
***We will continue to track the journey of Finn at the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships which take place in Poznan, Poland (26-30 August).
