May 17, 2025 • 7 mins
Ahead of the World Championships, para-canoeist Finn Murphy joined Piney to discuss the Poland event.
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Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Pas Nan Canoe Sprint and Power Canoe World Cup comes
up in the weak ahead. Competing in his first ever
power World Cup event will be key we Finn Murphy,
a former national rowing champion who lost his leg in
a motorcycle accident in twenty twenty one. Finn Murphy as
with us, great to get the chance to chat to
your Finn. How the excitement levels as you look forward
(00:34):
to your debut World Cup event? A?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, they're pretty high.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
A it's I'm currently in Hungary for the Canoe World Cup,
which doesn't have a power event, but being here watching
the the averybody athletes compete and that's gemmie up pretty hard.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So so yeah, how has your build up been? Tell
us about the last little while as you as you
build towards Posnan.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Yeah, well, it all happened pretty pretty quick, to be honest.
I hadn't really expected to be over here this year.
Was expecting to sort of have maybe another year of
paddling on my before before I came over, but managed
to do a really quick time before Christmas that sort
of put me on the radar a bit, and and
it's so I won the pair of inter nationals and
(01:18):
and here I am so.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So which discipline are you competing? And then how strong
is the field with.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
With the pair of event, there's there's three events. There's
KAL one through the KL three, with KL three being
the lowest level of impairment.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
So I'm in the KL three events.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
I've just got to blow in the apputection, which which
is pretty ideal in terms of impairment levels. I'm actually
not too sure what the what the quality of the
competition is going to be like over here this year,
because it's just stuff during an Olympic, Olympic and Paralympic cycles.
So a lot of a lot of the really competitive
athletes have taken six months off post Olympics. If their
(01:56):
southern hems for athletes, they probably haven't made their way
over to Poznan. And likewise, if they're from the sort
of half one corners of Europe, they might not be
over here. But based on based on the able body athletes,
there's a pretty strong contingency of countries that have come over.
So so yeah, it'd be interesting to see see you
next week and what the dealers.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
But I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Anyway, absolutely, and so you should be. How long has
this been a goal for you?
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I mean even before I opted for the amputation, it
was in the back of my mind. I didn't lose
my leg immediately after my motor accident, so I had
a bit of time to sort of think about it,
and prior to making the decision to amputate I I
was definitely like, well, if I do, then that opens
up the opportunity to pursue Olympic goal or something along
those lines. So, yeah, it's been in the back of
(02:41):
my mind for sort of at least three and a
half four years.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Now.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Tell us about the accident and then the subsequent decision
to opt for the amputation that you did.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Yeah, so it was I think it was October sixteenth,
twenty twenty one. I was on my way to get
my second dose to the COVID vaccine, so helped them.
A motorbike was getting into to my local GP and
I'm the way there, about four hundred meters down the
river of my house. A band turned in front of
me going into a petrol station. My front tire and
(03:14):
my motorbike didn't have enough air in it. So when
I applied the brakes slipped me off and I went
feet first into the side of this van pretty much
shattered my ankle a million pieces compound.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Presture of my tip.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
For yeah, the leg was really the worst, but I
had I had a bunch of injuries like a brain
lead and spinal fractures, So in terms of how life
threatening it was, I had other things going on at
the time, didn't really worry too much about the ankle.
But yeah, after about a year of trying to rehab that,
I had some complications. I managed to break all the
metal fixings and that they put into my ankle, so
(03:45):
I was going to have to have some sort of
original surgery rather than spend another year going to rehab it.
I figured if I get rid of it, then I'd
start fresh with an ankle I can't feel.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
So soon I went with.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I know you've probably told the story a lot of times,
but you know it all seems so offhand. Ill, I'll
just get rid of it. I'll just get rid of
my leg below below the knee. But you know, how
did you come to that decision?
Speaker 4 (04:09):
So in in that year that i'd sort of I'd
had some in the amputation. I'd been walking with pretty
severe arthritis and my limb was about and shorter than
it had been before the accident, so I had a
bit of a hobble.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Going on those things.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Factoring in the pain element and permanence of it, amputations
a pretty good option as opposed to having arthritis for
the rest of my life. And it also meant that
if I if I did amputate, I could get my
legs be the same link because the other as my
good leg and that way I wouldn't get authrighters my
knee or my hip later. Well, I could at least
delay the progression of that potentially. So yeah, that's that's
(04:46):
how I sort of arrived at the decision.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And how did you find your way to power canoeing?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Well, yeah, I'd always been interested in the water. I
Like I said, I did sort of six seasons of
club rowing and then swapped to the surfboats. So after
that I was sort of looking for something water based,
and kayaking the natural option. I thought they big a
bit of crossover between the two, between two sports.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah, it's a good decision.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I'm loving, loving at the moment, and I think two
hundred meter distance is a there's a lot better distance
for me than the two thousand meters distance in rowing.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So how long did it take you to, uh, to
get used to being in the boat? Did you fall
out much?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yeah, yeah, I was in the water every session pretty
much for the first six months. I'd bet my coach
made by a wetsuit because because I couldn't train, couldn't
train into the winter without going in the water. So
it took me. Definitely took me a while to get
the hang of the balance. Whereas in a robot it's
it's pretty intuitive. With a kayak, it's it's a real
skill that you have to sort of work on. It
something that even the sort of elites continue to work
(05:50):
on well into their careers. So it took a bit.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Again used to well, you've obviously mastered up mate, ahead
of your first World Cup event. What about if we
look forward for other Paralympics in Los Angeles and twenty
twenty eight on your.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Radar, Yeah, that's that's that's the one for sure.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
So yeah, everything everything from now until then will be
will be aiming for that ultimate goal of making it
to the to the twenty twenty eight Paralympics. But in
the meantime, I've got a couple of couple of dates
on the highs and to look forward to. I've got
the World champ event in August, I'll be back over
in Europe then to compete in that that's in Italy,
(06:28):
and then yeah, hopefully over the next couple years and
can get a few more, few more international events under
my belt to get a bit more experience. She's put
me in best position for competing in La.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Well, sounds like you're heading in the right direction. Fun.
Great to jet to you, mate, Thanks for telling us
your story. All the best in the week you hit
at the pause Nan Canoe Sprint and Para Canoe World Cup.
Look forward to hearing a lot more about you, mate
as we head towards the Paralympics in twenty twenty eight.
That is Finn Murphy joining us on News Talks ed
BA for.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
More from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live to
News Talk saed B weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
You're listening to the Weekend Sport Podcast with Jason Vine
from News Talk ZEDB.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Pas Nan Canoe Sprint and Power Canoe World Cup comes
up in the weak ahead. Competing in his first ever
power World Cup event will be key we Finn Murphy,
a former national rowing champion who lost his leg in
a motorcycle accident in twenty twenty one. Finn Murphy as
with us, great to get the chance to chat to
your Finn. How the excitement levels as you look forward
(00:34):
to your debut World Cup event? A?
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Yeah, they're pretty high.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
A it's I'm currently in Hungary for the Canoe World Cup,
which doesn't have a power event, but being here watching
the the averybody athletes compete and that's gemmie up pretty hard.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
So so yeah, how has your build up been? Tell
us about the last little while as you as you
build towards Posnan.
Speaker 4 (00:57):
Yeah, well, it all happened pretty pretty quick, to be honest.
I hadn't really expected to be over here this year.
Was expecting to sort of have maybe another year of
paddling on my before before I came over, but managed
to do a really quick time before Christmas that sort
of put me on the radar a bit, and and
it's so I won the pair of inter nationals and
(01:18):
and here I am so.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
So which discipline are you competing? And then how strong
is the field with.
Speaker 4 (01:24):
With the pair of event, there's there's three events. There's
KAL one through the KL three, with KL three being
the lowest level of impairment.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
So I'm in the KL three events.
Speaker 4 (01:35):
I've just got to blow in the apputection, which which
is pretty ideal in terms of impairment levels. I'm actually
not too sure what the what the quality of the
competition is going to be like over here this year,
because it's just stuff during an Olympic, Olympic and Paralympic cycles.
So a lot of a lot of the really competitive
athletes have taken six months off post Olympics. If their
(01:56):
southern hems for athletes, they probably haven't made their way
over to Poznan. And likewise, if they're from the sort
of half one corners of Europe, they might not be
over here. But based on based on the able body athletes,
there's a pretty strong contingency of countries that have come over.
So so yeah, it'd be interesting to see see you
next week and what the dealers.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
But I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
Anyway, absolutely, and so you should be. How long has
this been a goal for you?
Speaker 4 (02:20):
I mean even before I opted for the amputation, it
was in the back of my mind. I didn't lose
my leg immediately after my motor accident, so I had
a bit of time to sort of think about it,
and prior to making the decision to amputate I I
was definitely like, well, if I do, then that opens
up the opportunity to pursue Olympic goal or something along
those lines. So, yeah, it's been in the back of
(02:41):
my mind for sort of at least three and a
half four years.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
Now.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Tell us about the accident and then the subsequent decision
to opt for the amputation that you did.
Speaker 4 (02:53):
Yeah, so it was I think it was October sixteenth,
twenty twenty one. I was on my way to get
my second dose to the COVID vaccine, so helped them.
A motorbike was getting into to my local GP and
I'm the way there, about four hundred meters down the
river of my house. A band turned in front of
me going into a petrol station. My front tire and
(03:14):
my motorbike didn't have enough air in it. So when
I applied the brakes slipped me off and I went
feet first into the side of this van pretty much
shattered my ankle a million pieces compound.
Speaker 3 (03:23):
Presture of my tip.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
For yeah, the leg was really the worst, but I
had I had a bunch of injuries like a brain
lead and spinal fractures, So in terms of how life
threatening it was, I had other things going on at
the time, didn't really worry too much about the ankle.
But yeah, after about a year of trying to rehab that,
I had some complications. I managed to break all the
metal fixings and that they put into my ankle, so
(03:45):
I was going to have to have some sort of
original surgery rather than spend another year going to rehab it.
I figured if I get rid of it, then I'd
start fresh with an ankle I can't feel.
Speaker 3 (03:53):
So soon I went with.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
I know you've probably told the story a lot of times,
but you know it all seems so offhand. Ill, I'll
just get rid of it. I'll just get rid of
my leg below below the knee. But you know, how
did you come to that decision?
Speaker 4 (04:09):
So in in that year that i'd sort of I'd
had some in the amputation. I'd been walking with pretty
severe arthritis and my limb was about and shorter than
it had been before the accident, so I had a
bit of a hobble.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
Going on those things.
Speaker 4 (04:24):
Factoring in the pain element and permanence of it, amputations
a pretty good option as opposed to having arthritis for
the rest of my life. And it also meant that
if I if I did amputate, I could get my
legs be the same link because the other as my
good leg and that way I wouldn't get authrighters my
knee or my hip later. Well, I could at least
delay the progression of that potentially. So yeah, that's that's
(04:46):
how I sort of arrived at the decision.
Speaker 2 (04:47):
And how did you find your way to power canoeing?
Speaker 4 (04:50):
Well, yeah, I'd always been interested in the water. I
Like I said, I did sort of six seasons of
club rowing and then swapped to the surfboats. So after
that I was sort of looking for something water based,
and kayaking the natural option. I thought they big a
bit of crossover between the two, between two sports.
Speaker 3 (05:10):
Yeah, it's a good decision.
Speaker 4 (05:11):
I'm loving, loving at the moment, and I think two
hundred meter distance is a there's a lot better distance
for me than the two thousand meters distance in rowing.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
So how long did it take you to, uh, to
get used to being in the boat? Did you fall
out much?
Speaker 3 (05:28):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (05:28):
Yeah, yeah, I was in the water every session pretty
much for the first six months. I'd bet my coach
made by a wetsuit because because I couldn't train, couldn't
train into the winter without going in the water. So
it took me. Definitely took me a while to get
the hang of the balance. Whereas in a robot it's
it's pretty intuitive. With a kayak, it's it's a real
skill that you have to sort of work on. It
something that even the sort of elites continue to work
(05:50):
on well into their careers. So it took a bit.
Speaker 2 (05:54):
Again used to well, you've obviously mastered up mate, ahead
of your first World Cup event. What about if we
look forward for other Paralympics in Los Angeles and twenty
twenty eight on your.
Speaker 3 (06:03):
Radar, Yeah, that's that's that's the one for sure.
Speaker 4 (06:07):
So yeah, everything everything from now until then will be
will be aiming for that ultimate goal of making it
to the to the twenty twenty eight Paralympics. But in
the meantime, I've got a couple of couple of dates
on the highs and to look forward to. I've got
the World champ event in August, I'll be back over
in Europe then to compete in that that's in Italy,
(06:28):
and then yeah, hopefully over the next couple years and
can get a few more, few more international events under
my belt to get a bit more experience. She's put
me in best position for competing in La.
Speaker 2 (06:38):
Well, sounds like you're heading in the right direction. Fun.
Great to jet to you, mate, Thanks for telling us
your story. All the best in the week you hit
at the pause Nan Canoe Sprint and Para Canoe World Cup.
Look forward to hearing a lot more about you, mate
as we head towards the Paralympics in twenty twenty eight.
That is Finn Murphy joining us on News Talks ed
BA for.
Speaker 1 (06:57):
More from Weekend Sport with Jason Fine. Listen live to
News Talk saed B weekends from midday, or follow the
podcast on iHeartRadio.
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