Personal information | |
---|---|
Nationality | Turkish |
Born | Riga, Latvia | 4 July 1988
Height | 180 cm (5 ft 11 in) |
Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) |
Sport | |
Sport | Kayaking |
Event | K-1 200m |
Club | Antalya Gençlik Merkezi GSK |
Lasma Liepa (Latvian: Lāsma Liepa; born 4 July 1988) is a Latvian-born Turkish sprint kayaker. She is a member of Antalya Gençlik Merkezi GSK in Antalya.[1]
In 2015, she received the Turkish citizenship, and was admitted to the Turkey national canoe team.[2] According to the Turkish Canoe Federation, the main factor for Liepa's transfer to Turkey was supposedly her age seen by the Latvian sports officials not suitable anymore for canoeing.[3]
She took part at the 2015 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in Milan, Italy, and finished 12th. Upon this result, she earned a quota spot for the women's K-1 200 m event at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She is the first ever women's canoeist to represent Turkey at the Olympics.[2][4]