Jones now heads to her second Olympic Games, having been the first New Zealand woman to represent New Zealand in her sport at Beijing as a teenager where she finished 21st.
She recorded a second place at this weekend's New Zealand Open Canoe Slalom Championships and qualified New Zealand as the 14th ranked nation in K1M in Slovakia.
Both athletes have spent a number of seasons in Europe competing in World Cup events.
"It's awesome," said a delighted Dawson today on hearing the news.
"Four years ago before Beijing, I was close, but not quite there and I missed the spot. Since then I've spent a lot of time overseas, competing with athletes who are consistently in the top ten in the world. The only way I could catch them was to be open to their training styles and race techniques and adapt them for my own purposes.
"Huge support from my parents, some great sponsorships and "adopting" international families to help with off-season accommodation, transport and training partnerships have enabled me to qualify for London."
Jones said she has also relied on Kiwi charm to help her out on the European circuit and is looking forward to approaching the London Olympics as a strong performing athlete.
"I was young at Beijing and today I'm a totally different athlete. I travel overseas to compete every year, I've halved my body fat and I'm stronger. I'm training smarter and my technique's improved."
Kereyn Smith, Secretary General of the New Zealand Olympic Committee and head Olympic selector is confident the pair will make New Zealand proud. "I am delighted to name these two outstanding athletes to the Olympic Team," she said. "While we have a tradition of fielding strong teams in water-based sports, canoe slalom has remained largely on the fringe. Both Mike and Luuka are changing that and have demonstrated they are at a level with the world's best."
- NEWSTALK ZB/HERALD ONLINE
