In his first trip to Chile, Zachary “Bug” Lokken won his second straight gold medal in canoe slalom at the Pan American Games.
Lokken beat out five other competitors in the final round on Oct. 29 in Santiago, Chile. Brazil’s Kaua da Silva finished second only 1.35 seconds behind Lokken.
“It was a really cool event,” Loken said. “It was really well put on, and I was going in there with the focus to get the gold because I got first last Pam Am game.”
Lokken enjoyed the course because it was in a natural river. Lokken said he’s used to human-made courses. The natural river had shallow eddies with dirt and sediment, which made it challenging. However, Lokken enjoyed it because everyone had to deal with the bad water.
Born and raised in Durango, Lokken got into kayaking and canoe slalom through his family’s involvement in the Durango Whitewater Club.
He got his nickname “Bug” from when he was a small child before he could swim. He would play with ants on the side of the pool and the nickname stuck.
Lokken made his national team debut in 2009 at the age of 15 at the World Championships in Spain.
One of his most notable national achievements was going to the Tokyo Olympics and finishing seventh in the canoe slalom.
“I was just really excited to have the opportunity to go there regardless of the complications at the time,” Lokken said. “But I was really happy with my finish, even though it wasn’t a medal. I was still really happy with my performance, and I definitely had some regret because the run didn't end up exactly how I wanted. I had a mistake at the bottom, but I was really happy with Tokyo. They're so nice, and I felt so welcomed there.”
Lokken is aiming to compete in Paris next summer and is confident in his chances to represent the United States on the world stage once again.
bkelly@durangoherald.com
