Kristina Walker

Biography

Kristina Walker made her Olympic debut at Tokyo 2020 as a member of the women’s four that made it to the B final. Since then, she has raced in the women’s pair at the 2022 World Rowing Championships, finishing fifth in the B final, and in the women’s four at the 2023 World Rowing Championships where the crew finished fourth in the B final.

Walker raced in both the women’s four and the women’s eight at the 2023 Rowing World Cup II in Varese, Italy, winning the B final in the four and bringing home a bronze medal in the eight. She raced in the eight again at the 2023 World Cup III in Lucerne, Switzerland where the crew captured the silver medal, and then again at the 2024 World Cup II in Lucerne where they brought home gold.

Walker started rowing as a freshman at the University of British Columbia in 2014. In 2017 and 2018, she was in the eight that finished second at the Canadian University Rowing Championship as the Thunderbirds won the women’s national title both years. In 2018, she also finished second in the single sculls. That came at the end of the season that saw her have to stop rowing for three months after she slipped and bulged a disc in her L4/L5 vertebrae. After six months of rehab, she qualified for the FISU World Championship team and won silver in the double sculls for Canada in Shanghai.  

A Little More About Kristina 

Getting into the Sport: Started rowing at age 19 in her first year of university in 2014… Joined the UBC novice rowing team after being on the school’s cross-country and track team… Outside Interests: Enjoys running… Was the president of the UBC student-athletes association… Studied Commerce at UBC Sauder School of Business… Launched a podcast called Difference Makers in 2021 to interview people who have made a difference in their profession or sport… Odds and Ends: Takes a shot of maple syrup before each race…