When a text message about an international whitewater competition came across Chattanoogan Shane Simoneaux’s phone, he knew he had to go — even though he didn’t understand some of the message.
Partly written in Chinese, it outlined the Huangguoshu Waterfall International Canoe Slalom Extreme in Anshun City, Guizhou Province, China.
“This is certainly my first time in China,” 26-year-old Simoneaux said in an interview. “I don’t know that it’s going to be the hardest river in the world, but you know, racing is hard in itself.”
The Chinese Canoe Association Guizhou Provincial Bureau of Sports is set to host the races from Friday-Sunday on the Baishui River at the base of Huangguoshu Waterfall. It’s China’s largest waterfall, at 255 feet tall and 331 feet wide.
Simoneaux, a Nashville native, will be competing in the slalom event at Rhinoceros Pool, a 300-meter course; a wild-water long-distance race that will cover almost 3 miles on the Tianxingqiao course; and the waterfall drop challenge at the Doupotang Waterfall.