Jemma Smith

Jemma Smith started Nippers at the age of six at Umina SLSC in the Central Coast, where she is still heavily involved as patrolling member carrying on her long family tradition with the club. Smith first made the professional series at the age of 17 and competed for seven years consecutively but took a two-year break away from the sport to chase Olympic kayak team selection. Coming off an incredible victory in the 2024 Shaw and Partners Coolangatta Gold, Smith is once again back in the series and will be looking to make her mark. Smith is also an Australian Lifesaving Team Representative, two–time Australian Life Saving Championship Female Competitor of the Carnival, as well as a 16-time Australian Champion across both lifesaving and surf events the Aussies. The impressive athlete is also a three-time winner of the SLSA National Youth Athlete of the Year and in 2019 became the U23 World Champion at the ICF Canoe Ocean Racing World Championships in France. Outside of sport, Smith is a high school PDHPE and Maths teacher on the Northern Beaches.