Vision:
To be the World Leading Olympic and Paralympic canoeing team, inspiring people to paddle.
Above: Basic Strokes in a canoe
Purpose:
The purpose of the World Class Programme is to support athletes to be the best they can be with the aspiration of winning Olympic and Paralympic medals.
Above: the 2019 World Spring Championships 21-25th August 2019, Hungary
Two Olympic and five Paralympic medals in Tokyo 2020
Above: Olympic and Paralympic medals made from recycled electronic material for Tokyo 2020
Build a team capable of winning medals in Paris 2024
Above: Lee Valley world class training facility
Values/Valued
Six values which performance programme athletes and staff live by on a day to day basis;
Every person matters
Above: Canoeing in Birmingham Image Courtesy of The Canal and Rivers Trust
Strive for excellence
Above: images from British Canoe Sprint Plan
Integrity always
Enjoy the journey
Above: Nottingham Kayak Club’s Marathon day May 2019 Under 12’s and Henry ‘Speedy’ McCready achieved an incredible first place….and received his prize from Councillor Liz Plant
Committed Individuals, individually committed
Stronger together
Above: a great image from Stronger Together The Strategic Plan for British Canoeing 2017-2021
These values define British Canoeing, applying across the organisation to athletes, coaches, staff, committee members and volunteers.
The best interest of athletes are at the heart of British Canoeing activity and organisation.
The core impetus is to improve on Rio 2106 results for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
The World Class Programme and the Daily Training Environment maximises water time, coaching, competition, gym training, recovery, targeted performance support and operations towards helping athletes continually develop.
Within resources and investment principles agreed with UK Sport, British Canoeing operates two fully supported centralised World Class Programme training environments through the High Performance Centre at the National Water Sports Centre in Nottingham for the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe programmes and the Lee Valley White Water Centre for Canoe Slalom.
For Canoe Slalom athletes, British Canoeing at Holme Pierrepont also provides Podium Potential transitional coaching support:
2019-2019_World_Class_Podium_Potential_Programme_Criteria_Final_Version_75BTSWq
-a daily training environment for white water work and gym training plus emergency medical support.
British Canoeing Podium Potential Programme
The Podium Potential Programme focusses on developing talented athletes principally in the age range of 17-25 into the athletes of the future: 2024 and beyond.
The programme is reviewed in the autumn each year and athlete qualification is based on athlete performances at the major championships of the year in question (the Junior World/European Championships, U23 World/European Championships, Senior World Cups and Senior European/World Championships).
Athlete places
British Canoeing currently has up to 20 slalom and up to 28 sprint athlete places across its Podium and Podium Potential Programmes.
An additional up to 17 athlete places are available on the Paracanoe Podium and Podium Potential Programmes.
Centralised Programme
This targeted investment approach enables British Canoeing to provide world class facilities and world class support services at these venues and the establishment of a GB team environment consisting of high professional standards with a strong and cohesive performance‐based culture.
Whilst the centralised training model is the philosophy within the sport, we understand that it is not always possible for WCP athletes to relocate to the vicinity of a HPC due to studies, work and family commitments.
British Canoeing is athlete centred in its approach to developing holistic athletes and WCP athletes may elect to opt out of the centralised programme on the understanding that the support services are accessed via the identified HPC and there is a long term transitional programme agreed with HC, Lead Podium Potential Coach, Performance Lifestyle Advisor and the athlete to work towards full engagement at the HPC.
The rest of the support for podium potential athletes is through Lee Valley. British Canoeing World Class Programme also supports the Tim Brabants Centre at Dorney Hub with World Class Programme support for Liam Heath and Jeanette Chippington through to Tokyo in 2020.
British Canoeing provides world class facilities and world class support services at these venues and the establishment of a GB team environment consisting of high professional standards with a strong and cohesive performance‐based culture.
Whilst the centralised training model is the philosophy within the sport, we understand that it is not always possible for World Class Programme athletes to relocate to the vicinity of a HPC due to studies, work and family commitments.
British Canoeing is athlete centred in its approach to developing holistic athletes and World Class Programme Adults athletes may elect to opt out of the centralised programme on the understanding that the support services are accessed via the identified High Performance Centre and there is a long term transitional programme agreed with HC Lead Podium Potential Coach, Performance Lifestyle Advisor and the athlete to work towards full engagement at the HPC.
The World Class Programme aims to provide the best possible Daily Training Environment to maximise water time, coaching, competition, gym training, recovery, targeted performance support and operations towards helping athletes develop towards being the best they can.
British Canoeing represents the interests of canoeists and sets a framework for English, Welsh, Scottish and Northern Irish canoeing in coaching, training, development, safeguarding and competition. Based at Holme Pierrepont, a lovely walk either along the river from Trent Bridge or through Lady Bay,
British Canoe Union was established in 1936 as the British Canoe Union. By 2000 it had become the umbrella organisation for the home nation associations in Scotland (Scottish Canoe Association), Wales (Canoe Wales) and Northern Ireland (Canoe Association Northern Ireland).
British Canoeing is still the membership body for England and are responsible for developing the sport within England: funding from Sport England, UK Sport, Jaffa, Peak UK Cotswold Outdoor Errea Towergate Insurance
Valued trading partners: Silver Birch Canoes, Tootega Kayaks, Palm Equipment, Wave Sport Equipment, Red Paddle Equipment Palm Canoes, Kayaks and Clothing, Wave Sport Kayaks
British Canoeing is dedicated to supporting the most talented athletes in the Olympic disciplines of Canoe Slalom and Canoe Sprint Racing and the Paralympic discipline Paracanoe to win medals at the highest level. Having consistently won Olympic medals since 2000, the sport gained its first ever Olympic Champion, Tim Brabants, in 2008.
This success with our best ever Olympic results, winning two Gold and two Silver Medals at the Rio Olympic Games 2016. There’s been great success in the Paralympic debut, winning three Gold and two Bronze Medals at the Rio Paralympic Games in 2016.
Paddlesports For All
Since 1936 there have been many wonderful, significant changes and advances in the sport. Canoeing now covers a wide range of interests and passions as a sport and a leisure activity.
We want to support and provide opportunities for everyone to enjoy and realised their potential within all aspects of canoeing regardless of their age, background or ability.
British Canoeing Athletes to Watch:
Canoe Slalom Adam Burgess graduated with a degree in Sports Science Management from Nottingham Trent in 2014.
Adam competes in the canoe single (C1). 2019 is his fifth season on the senior British team, he won silver in the men’s C1 at the Lee Valley World Cup in 2018 and another in the Prague European Championships. He’s been a finalist in the World Cup series and at the World Championships in Rio, winning bronze in the men’s C1 Team event with teammates David Florence and Ryan Westley.
Kayak Slalom Etienne Chappell competes in the single (K1) Junior class and joined the British Canoeing program in 2018. He’s involved in Slalom events and at the 2019 World Cup 1 at Lee Valley won gold.
Etienne achieved great results in 2018: 4th place in the Junior K1 men’s event at the Junior European Championships in Bratislava. Etienne also competed at the Junior World Championships in Ivrea where he achieved a K1 Junior Men’s Team 5th place and a 10th place in the Junior K1 men’s event.
Jeanette Chippington Paracanoe
In 2018 Jeannette won 7 medals across the World and European Championships and World Cup 1, World Cup silver in the V1 200m VL2 and bronze in the K1 200m KL3.
Two weeks later at the European Championships in Belgrade she won gold in the KL3 and silver in the VL2. At the World Championships in Montemor O Veho, taking silver in the V1 VL2 200m and bronze in the K1 KL1 200m race. Altogether, she has won a total of six European titles and an incredible seven European Championship medals as a paracanoeist.
In 2017 Jeanette achieved the Paracanoe ‘Grand Slam’ holding the Paralympic, European and World titles within the calendar year in the KL1 200m event.
Jeanette is an outstanding athlete having already competed as a swimmer at five consecutive Paralympic Games; Seoul, Barcelona, Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, winning a total of 12 medals. Atlanta was her most successful games where she won 2 Golds, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals and broke two World Records.
Jeanette first learnt to swim as part of physiotherapy after contracting a virus and only started canoeing when a friend nagged her. She is also a wife and mum of two children.
Zyggy Chmiel joined the World Class Programme as an Olympic potential athlete this year. In 2018 came 9th in K2 1000m race in the Under 23 European Championships in Auronzo, Italy. Zyggy also demonstrated a strong results in the K2 1000m race at the Under 23 World Championships, finishing 12th with crew-mate Charlie Smith.
Zoe Clark Sprint – Olympic Potential
2019 is Zoe’s first year on the World Class Programme. In 2018 Zoe achieved a 14th place in the K2 500m race with crew-mate Rachel Kneen at the Junior World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.
Stewart Clark Paracanoe – Olympic Potential
Stewart recently joined the Paracanoe World Class programme with British Canoeing and paddles in the VL3 category. Having previously competed for Great Britain in the Szeged World Cup during 2011, Stewart is no stranger to international competition. Living in Chelmsford and working in Media and Sales Consultancy, Stewart is an avid member of the Chelmsford Canoe Club and regularly competes in club races.
Joe Clarke Slalom
Joe Clarke is the reigning Olympic Champion in the canoe slalom men’s K1, making history at the 2016 Rio Games by winning GB’s first gold medal in this event and Team GB’s second gold medal of the Games.
2019 is Joe’s seventh year as a member of the senior British team and he got the season off to a great start winning gold at World Cup 1 at Lee Valley as well as posting his best ever result at the European Championships finishing fourth. He has been in the final of every event this season demonstrating his consistency in this often unpredictable sport.
In 2018 he won his first ever World Cup gold at World Cup 2 in Krakow and a World Cup bronze in Liptovsky. Having won the semi final in Rio at the World Championships he went on to finish fifth in the final, recording his best ever World Championships result and won gold in the K1 Team event with teammates Bradley Forbes-Cryans and Chris Bowers.
Enya Dale 2019 is Enya’s first year on the World Class Programme. 2018 brought great results in the Junior World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria where she finished 11th in the K1 200m race. Enya also had a great race at the European championships in the K1 200m Junior race finishing 13th.
Noah Dembele Sprint -Olympic Potential
2019 is Noah’s third year on the UK Sport Podium Potential Programme. He showed a strong start to his professional canoeing career in 2017 at the Junior and Under 23 European Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, finishing 10th in the K2, 200m. In 2018 Noah continued to confirm his place in the men’s K4 500m race at the World Championships where the team finished 11th place in a very competitive field.
Chelsey Dixon Paracanoe – Olympic Potential
In 2018 Chelsey competed in her first World Championships and came 9th in the close fought K1 KL3 200m race. Chelsey was identified by a British Canoeing Talent Identification process and earned a place on the Podium Potential Programme in 2017. She competes in the KL3 and VL3 events
Chelsey’s interest in to kayaking was started when she was younger by contact through a charity called Climbing Out, set up by Kelda Wood a previous British Canoeing Programme athlete.
Izzy Evans Sprint
Izzy joined the UK Sport Discover Your Power Talent ID programme with British Canoeing in 2017. Currently studying a Sport, Exercise and Physical Activity BA with Durham University while training at Holme Pierrpont in Nottingham.
Jack Eyres Paracanoe – Olympic Potential
In 2018, his first international season racing in canoeing, Jack won both European and World Championships bronze medals in the V1 200m VL3 class, a hugely impressive achievement.
Jack joined the Podium Potential Programme in 2018 having first began his sporting career in wheelchair basketball. He also competed in wheelchair racing, athletics, rowing and swimming but now believes he has found the right sport in canoeing and has set his eyes on competing in Tokyo 2020.
Afton Fitzhenry Sprint – Olympic Potential
Afton joined the UK Sport funded Podium Potential Programme after completing a successful fast track Girls4Gold training programme. Her best international results in 2018 were 3rd in the C1 200m and 4th in the C2 500m event at the Under 23 European Championships in Auronzo, Italy.
Afton was part of the Northern Ireland Sea Cadets and with them, she raced nationally. She was inspired to try out for the Canoe Association of Northern Ireland Performance Squad and after two years she was selected for the Girls 4 Gold team. Afton is now living in Nottingham and training full time with the long term aim of selection for Tokyo 2020.
Lewis Fletcher Sprint
2018 saw Lewis compete in the World Championships in Montemor O Velho and finish 13th in the men’s K4 500m. In 2017 Lewis also is had some good solid results including a 5th place in the K4 500m event at World Cup 1 in Motemor-O-Veho, Portugal. He also finished 11th in the K1 200m at the same event.
David Florence Slalom
David Florence is one of the world’s top men’s slalom canoeists. He is a three time Olympic silver medallist, a three time World Champion and has won more than 25 World Cup medals including 9 gold. He has been a member of the senior team since 2000 representing Great Britain for an incredible 19 years and is now embarking on his quest to be selected for his fourth successive Olympic Games.
He topped the podium once again in 2018 with C1 gold at World Cup 2 in Krakow. He also won C1 Team bronze at the World Championships in Rio.
David won a second successive silver medal with Richard Hounslow in the Men’s C2 at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. He is the first British Canoe Slalom athlete to attend three successive Games and the first athlete in the history of canoe slalom to have won Olympic medals in more than one class, having first won silver in C1 in Beijing in 2008.
In 2015 David Florence had an outstanding season, becoming World Champion in C1 for the second time in his career, claiming the victory on his home course at Lee Valley White Water Centre. At the 2013 World Championships in Prague Florence became the first paddler in 60 years to win both the C1 and C2 titles in the same year, also making him the first ever British paddler to win a C1 and C2 World title.
With the C2 no longer on the Olympic programme for 2020, David is fully focused on the men’s C1 class.
David has a degree in Mathematical Physics from Nottingham University.
Bradley Forbes Cyrens Slalom – Olympic Potential
Bradley is a men’s K1 slalom kayaker and 2019 is his fifth year on the senior British Team.
2018 was Bradley’s most successful season to date, qualifying for his first European Championships final where he came eighth and backed this up with ninth and fifth places in the finals of the first two World Cups.
The highlight of his season was winning a silver medal at the U23 World Championships in Ivrea, followed by a K1 Team gold medal at the World Championships in Rio with Joe Clarke and Chris Bowers.
In 2016 he won silver at World Cup 5 in Tacen which led to third place in the overall World Cup standings.
Bradley, who started canoeing when he was 10 years old, also likes to ski and lifts weights when he’s not out on the water in his kayak.
Bethan Forrow Slalom
Bethan is a junior paddler and competes in both the C1 and K1 classes. In 2018 Beth impressively also qualified for the senior team in C1 at just 16 years of age.
Beth made her senior debut at the 2018 European Championships in Prague and went on to win gold in the women’s C1 Team event and finished 9th in the C1 individual. At the World Championships in Rio she helped GB retain the women’s C1 Team title and then won the semi final of the individual C1 to qualify for the final where she finished an incredible 8th.
Beth raced in 2017 as a junior at both the World and European Junior & Under 23 Championships. Her best international result of 2017 saw her finish 4th in the Junior C1 individual class at the European Championships in Hohenlimberg.
Beth got involved in canoe slalom through British Canoeing’s legacy programme at Lee Valley White Water Centre set up after the London 2012 Olympic Games. New to canoe slalom in 2013, she has successfully fast-tracked through the sport to now compete on the international stage.
Beth is in sixth form at school studying PE and science at A level.
Mallory Franklin Slalom – Olympic Potential
Mallory Franklin is a women’s C1 and K1 slalom canoeist and in 2018 became Great Britain’s most successful female canoeist winning a record eight individual and three team medals in one season.
2019 started for Mallory where she left off last year, winning her first senior European title in C1 and also taking silver in the K1. Along with Kimberley Woods and Sophie Ogilvie she also won the C1 Team title for the fourth successive time.
Mallory quickly backed this up with C1 and K1 gold at World Cup 1 on her home course at Lee Valley. This was her first ever World Cup gold in K1.
Mallory has a 2:1 degree in Sports Therapy from University of Bedfordshire.
Eilidh Gibson Slalom – Podium
Eilidh Gibson is a women’s C1 slalom canoeist and she has been on the senior British team since 2014. She missed the 2018 international season due to injury, but is now back training full time at Lee Valley, having completed her degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh.
During her time out, Eilidh organised the first a ‘Slalom Inspires’ event, where 60 girls from across the UK participated in an inspiring weekend of canoeing and team building workshops. She plans to develop this initiative further in 2019.
In 2017 Eilidh was a member of the women’s C1 Team winning gold at the European, World and U23 World Championships and also had her best individual result finishing 4th at the World Championships in Pau.
She has also won six World Cup medals including an individual C1 silver at Lee Valley in 2014 and five C1 Team medals.
Bethany Gill Sprint – Podium Potential
Beth’s best result in 2017 was a first place at World Cup 1 at Montemor-o-Velho in the C2 200m event. Good results followed for the rest of the season including a 4th place at the Under 23 European Championships in Belgrade in the C2 200m event. She also achieved a 7th at the Under 23 World Championships in Pitesti in the C2 500m with team-mate Afton Fitzhenry.
Bethany was a keen hockey player, playing at an international level, before transitioning to Canoeing. Having been selected for the Girls 4 Gold programme in 2014, Bethany is now living in Nottingham and training full time with the long term aim of selection for Tokyo 2020.
Hope Gill Olympic Potential
New to the Programme in 2018, 2019 will be Hope’s first full year on the UK port World Class Programme. Hope has made the transfer from competitive swimming to canoeing. In June 2018 she graduated with a 2.1 Honours degree in Sport and Exercise Science from Edinburgh Napier University.
Megan Hamer Evans Slalom – Olympic Potential
Megan is on her third year in Podium Potential programme for 2019 and had a great year in 2018 with a bronze medal in the Team K1 event at the Under 23 World Championships in Ivrea and, a silver medal in the K1 Team event at the Under 23 European Championships in Bratislava.
She competed in the 2017 Junior and U23 European Championships finishing 6th in the K1 Junior event and backed this up with 8th place in the K1 Junior event at the Junior & U23 World Championships in Bratislava. She also reached her first World Cup semi-final at World Cup 4 in Ivrea.
Angela Hannah Sprint – Podium Potential
Angela is a two time Olympian, competing in Rio 2016 where she came 15th in the K2 500m with crewmate Lani Belcher. Angela also competed in London 2012 in the K4 500m finishing 5th.
Angela grew up in Zimbabwe with a Greek mother, Scottish father and two older sisters. She played international hockey for Zimbabwe, has a degree in Human Biology from Loughborough University and is a qualified Physical Trainer.
Ben Haylett Slalom – Olympic Potential
New to the World Class Programme for 2019, 2018 saw Ben have a fantastic season with a lifetime best of 10th place at the Junior World Championships in Ivrea in the individual C1 category. At the Junior European Championships in Bratislava Ben competed in the C1 Junior team with team-mates Peter Linksted and Sam Maingay and were 4th overall, narrowly missing out on a bronze medal by less than a second.
Ben discovered canoeing when he went swimming aged 8 and saw a poster advertising canoeing at the pool, he has never looked back since then. For someone getting into canoeing, Ben would say, “GO FOR IT, it will be the best decision you make and you will gain great experiences and friends along the way.”
Liam Heath Sprint – Olympic Potential
Liam Heath is the regining Olympic Champion and holds the world’s fastest time in the men’s K1 200m, an event he only started competing in seriously in 2016.
He is also a multiple Olympic medallist in the K2 200m with partner Jon Schofield including Rio 2016 silver and London 2012 bronze. They are three-times European Champions and have won silver and bronze medals at the World Championships and multiple medals in the World Cup series.
Liam was first introduced to kayaking as part of an organized ‘holiday fun’ activity week at Wey Kayak Club at the age of 10. In amongst other sporting activities Liam chose to pursue kayaking as it came quickly and naturally to him.
Liam attended Loughbrough University and graduated with a degree in Industrial Design and Technology. Liam can name and make over 150 different cocktails.
Charlotte Henshaw Paracanoe – Podium Potential
Charlotte is the reigning KL2 200m World Champion, after winning at the 2018 World Championships in Montemor O Velho. Charlotte also took bronze in the VL3 200m race in what has become her most successful year racing for British Canoeing to date. Earlier in the year she competed at the European Championships in Belgrade winning a silver medal in the KL2 200m and took another silver at World Cup 1 in Szeged.
2019 is Charlotte’s third season in canoeing having transferred from Para-Swimming after the Rio 2016 Paralympics and she has achieved a podium in every race she started in internationally.
In 2017 Charlotte won silver at the European Championships in the K1 KL2 200m and was a finalist in the VL3 at the 2017 World Championships in Racice, Czech Republic.
Samuel Ibbotson Slalom – Podium Potential
Sam is a men’s C1 slalom canoeist. He is a member of the 2019 U23 British team and has an individual season best performance of 5th in the C1 event at the Under 23 World Championships in Ivrea in 2018. Sam also won bronze in the same meeting in the C1 Team event and at the start of the 2018 season took 4th place in the C1 event at the Under 23 European Championships in Bratislava.
During 2017 Sam was part of the C1 Team that won silver at the 2017 U23 World Championships. Other results includes 4th place in the C1 Under 23 Team event at the European Championships in Hohenlimberg, Germany.
Ieuan James Sprint – Podium Potential
Ieuan came onto the Podium Potential programme in 2016 and has now relocated from Scotland to Nottingham to train at the National Water Sports Centre.
Ieuan only competed in his first international championship in 2016 at the Junior World Championships. In 2017 he became K1 200m European Junior Champion and a month later became K1 200m World Junior Champion, Great Britain’s first World Junior Champion for 22 years. 2018 saw Ieuan move up to Under 23 events and he also raced at Senior level at Sprint World Cup 1 in Szeged, finishing 16th in the men’s K4 500m race.
Daniel Johnson Sprint – Podium Potential
2018 saw Daniel take on longer races on the world stage with co-paddler Tomas Lusty. He finished 12th at World Cup 1 in the K2 1000 in Szeged, 13th in World Cup 2 in the K2 1000m in Duisberg and 18th in the K2 1000m at the World Championships.
2017 saw Daniel finish 5th in the K4 500m and also 5th in the K2 1000m respectively at World Cup 1 in Portugal.
Daniel started paddling in 2008 and is currently studying for a degree in Sports Science at St Mary’s University in London.
Andras Kereszturi Sprint – Olympic Potential
Thomas Lusty Sprint – Olympic Potential
Tom is now in his third year on the UK Sport Podium Potential Programme for 2018. He had 2 strong performances at the World Championships in Montemor O Velho finishing 10th in the K1n 1000m and 18th in the K2 1000m. He is a Building Services Engineering Consultant based in Solihull and fits his training and competing in around his work.
2017 saw Tom compete in the Junior and Under 23 World Championships in Pitesti, Romania where he finished 7th in the Under 23 K1 500m race.
Ian Marsden Paracanoe – Podium
Ian won a Bronze medal in the KL1 200m event at Paracanoe’s debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. He is the 2017 European silver medallist and was 4th at the World Championships the same year.
Ian attended a talent ID day for Paracanoe in late 2012 where he was selected for the programme. He has since excelled, becoming a medallist at both European and World Championships since 2013. He is the 2015 European Champion and 2014 World silver medallists in K1 200m KL1.
Ian started out as an able-bodied athlete representing Team GB at Powerlifting and is a former European and World Powerlifting Champion and holder of three World Records. After a sporting accident in 1992, he became disabled and a wheelchair user.
After a long spell in hospital, he discovered handcycling and went on to race on the European Handcycling Circuit where he became the first British male to win a podium posiition. During his successful handcycling career he developed problems with his neck and required extensive surgery. Whilst in hospital tests discovered he had a rare motor neuron condition which affected parts of his body.
Ian then moved on to Target Shooting and the 10m air rifle and was put on the fast track programme for London 2012. Further complications with his health meant he was not fit enough to compete. He is now a full time athlete on the Paracanoe programme.
Philip Miles Sprint – Podium Potential
Philip is new to the World Class Programme for 2019. Philip competes in the K1 1000m event and achieved an excellent 7th place at the Junior European Championships in Auronzo Italy in 2018. Philip also competed at the Junior World Championships in Plovdiv Bulgaria in the K4 500 race with team-mates James Smithson, Andras Keresturi and Luke Shaw where the team finished 14th.
Ellis Miller Slalom – Podium Potential
Ellis is new to the World Class Programme for 2019 and begins the year a as Team C1 Team Junior silver medallist from the World Championship at Ivrea, Italy. Ellis also had a strong result in the C1 Junior event finishing 26th in the Semi-final before the course flooded and the competition was abandoned. At the Junior European Championships in Bratislava, Slovakia, Ellis narrowly missed out on another medal in both the C1 and K1 events, finishing 5th (C1) and 4th (K1) respectively. Ellis also competed in the C1 Junior individual event finishing in 10th place.
Stelian Naftanaila Sprint – Olympic Potential
2018 saw Stelian focus mainly on crew-boat competitions where he finished 11th in the K4 500m World Championships at Montemor O Velho. He also competed in Sprint World Cup 1, paddling with Trevor Thomson in the K2 200m to finish 4th in a very competitive field. At the same meeting, Stelian also competed in the men’s K4 500m and finished 16th.
Stelian studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Nottingham and is now employed as an engineer.
Slalom – Olympic Potential
Sophie Olgilvie has been selected for the British senior team for the first time in 2019, competing in the women’s canoe single (C1).
She started the season well making three back to back finals at the European Championships, World Cup 1 at Lee Valley and World Cup 2 in Bratislava.
She has previously competed for Great Britain at U23 level in 2017 and 2018 in both C1 and K1.
At the 2018 Under 23 World Championship Sophie competed in the K1 Team event taking the bronze medal and also the C1 Team event finishing in 4th place. She also competed in the Under 23 European Championships in the Team events finishing 5th in the C1 class and taking the silver medal in the C1 event.
Sophie is one of three Scottish athletes on the senior team who learnt to canoe with the CR Cats Canoe Club under the guidance of coach, Johnny Brown. Her twin sister Rebecca s also a kayak paddler.
Sophie has an HNC in Coaching and Development in Sport from Forth Valley College. She is a SportsAid Scotland funded athlete.
robert oliver
Paracanoe Rob Oliver Olympic Potential
Rob produced some solid results in 2018, culminating with a very close 4th place in the K1 KL3 200m at the World Championships in Montemor O Velho. He also just missed out on a medal at World Cup 1 in Szeged finishing 4th in the KL3 200m race.
Rob came 5th in the competitive KL3 200m event at the Rio Paralympics. Having won silver at the 2015 World Championships and qualified the quota place for Great Britain for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio where Paracanoe made its Paralympic debut.
Rob is a talented sportsman; after a spell as a weightlifter he played football at a variety of levels from 13-19. However in 2008 he broke his leg during a match and 17 operations and nine months later he had his leg amputated due to medical negligence. He was only 20 years old and up until that point had always been very active, he felt like this area of his life had come to an end, until he found kayaking in 2011. Once he realised he could still take part in competitive sport as an amputee he decided to dedicate his life to becoming the very best.
Paracanoe – Olympic Potential
Nicola Paterson is a triple World Championship silver medallist in the KL2 200m event from 2015 to 2017. Having recently moved from Manchester to Nottingham to train at British Canoeing’s World Class Performance Centre, Nicola is an Electrical Engineer by profession and a British Army veteran.
Nikki describes herself as an all round adrenaline junkie and the lover of a good cup of tea!
Slalom – Olympic potential
Fiona Pennie is one of Britain’s most experienced women’s K1 slalom kayakers.
2018 was another successful season for Fiona, claiming bronze at the European Championships in Prague, the opening race of the year. This is her third individual European K1 medal, having been European Champion in 2013 and bronze medallist in 2012. 2018 also saw Fiona compete in the K1 class at the World Championships in Rio where she finished 10th in the K1 final and took bronze in the K1 team event.
Fiona achieved a PB at the Rio Olympics coming 6th in the Women’s K1 event. This was her second Olympic Games having competed in Beijing 2008. She is also a two-time World Championship silver medallist from 2006 and 2014 and has also won five individual World Cup medals to date.
Fiona learnt to kayak in Scotland with her then coach Johnny Brown. Her mother was an international canoe sprint paddler, which probably explains why Fiona has played in boats since she was just a few months old!
Away from training, Fiona likes to repair boats and has done repairs on most boats within the team. She also plays hockey for Waltham Forest HC and likes to get out on her bike.
Paracanoe – Olympic Potential
David Phillipson Dave is the reigning European Champion in the men’s VL3 200m race in Belgrade in only his second season of International racing. He has been on the Podium Potential programme since October 2017 and competes in both the K1 KL2 200m and V1 VL3 200m classes. Other highlights for Dave in 2018 include 3rd place in the VL3 200m race at World Cup 1 in Szeged and 4th in the VL3 200m race in Montemor O Velho in a hotly contested race.
Sprint – Olympic Potential
Katie Reid oined the UK Sport funded Podium Potential Programme after completing a successful fast-track Girls4Gold training programme. Just over a year into the Girls4Gold training programme, Katie was selected to compete in the U23 World Championships in Portugal where she finished 10th in the Women’s C1 200m. She has continued to progress and at the 2017 U23 World Championships finished 7th. In 2016 she won her first World Cup series medal in Duisburg taking bronze.
The 2018 season started well for Katie, winning bronze at World Cup 2 in Duisburg. She continued the year with consistently good results finishing 8th in the C1 200m at the European Championships in Belgrade. Katie also competed at the World Championships at Montemor O Velho in 2018, finishing 12th in the C1 500m and 16th in the C1 200m.
Katie was an accomplished Scottish karate champion before transitioning to Canoeing. Having been selected for the Girls4Gold programme in 2014, Katie is now living in Nottingham and training full time with the long term aim of selection for Tokyo 2020.
Sprint – Olympic Potential
Matthew Robinson is a men’s Sprint kayaker and in 2017 he has two top ten finishes at World Cup 1 in Montemor-O-Veho in the K4 500m (5th) and K2 500m (7th) respectively.
2018 saw Matthew focus on crew-boat racing. His highlight of the year was finishing in 13th place in the K4 500m at the World Championships in Montemor O Velho. Other K4 500m results during the year included an 18th place at World Cup 1 in Szeged and 15th in World Cup 2 in Duisberg.
Matthew is a graduate from Brunel University with a degree in Biomedical Science.
Emma Russell Sprint – Olympic Potential
2019 is Emma’s first year on the World Class Programme, she only started paddling in 2009 and is a member of Chelmsford Canoe Club. Her best result prior to 2019 was winning a bronze medal in the K1 500m race at the Junior World Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. At the same event she also finished a close 4th place in the K1 1000m race. Emma also had a great competition at the Junior European Championships in Auronzo, Italy where she finished 5th in the K1 1000m rac
Rebeka (Rebii) Simon Olympic Potential
Rebeka was born in Hungary and is a women’s sprint kayaker. In 2016 she competed in Rio in her first Olympics as part of the Women’s K4 500m crew and came 7th in a very competitive field. In 2018 Rebii won the bronze medal at the Under 23 European Championships in Auronze in the K1 1000m race. In only her second year at senior competitions and still only 22 years old, Rebii finished 13th in the K1 500m race. She also performed well at World Cup 1 in Szeged, finishing 12th in the K1 500m and at World Cup 2 finishing 11th, both in the K1 500m races.
2014 saw Rebii shortlisted for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Award after a fantastic year of competition, taking silver in both the K1 1000m and 500m events at the Junior European Championships and also silver in the K1 500m at the Junior World Championships in Szeged.
Rebeka (Rebii) Simon was born in Hungary and is a women’s sprint kayaker. In 2016 she competed in Rio in her first Olympics as part of the Women’s K4 500m crew and came 7th in a very competitive field. In 2018 Rebii won the bronze medal at the Under 23 European Championships in Auronze in the K1 1000m race. In only her second year at senior competitions and still only 22 years old, Rebii finished 13th in the K1 500m race. She also performed well at World Cup 1 in Szeged, finishing 12th in the K1 500m and at World Cup 2 finishing 11th, both in the K1 500m races.
2014 saw Rebii shortlisted for BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year Award after a fantastic year of competition, taking silver in both the K1 1000m and 500m events at the Junior European Championships and also silver in the K1 500m at the Junior World Championships in Szeged.
Charlie Smith Sprint Olympic Potential
Charlie joined the World Class Programme with British Canoeing in 2018 and had a solid first year of Sprint International competition. He competed in the Under 23 European Championships in Auronzo and finished 9th in the K2 1000m race with fellow paddler Zyggy Chmiel. Charlie also competed in Plovdiz at the World Under 23 Championships finishing 14th in the men’s K1 200m.
Before he became a programme athlete, 2017 was an extremely successful year for Charlie who won Silver medals in both the K1 Marathon World and European Championships. In the Junior European Championships during July in Pitesti, he came 7th in the K1 1000m. He also won the K1 Leighton Buzzard Remembrance Race at his home race in Leighton Buzzard
Phoebe Spicer Slalom Olympic Potential
2019 is Phoebe’s first year on the World Class programme. During 2018 Phoebe delivered an outstanding performance at the Junior and Under 23 World Championships in Ivrea, Italy. Finishing 4th in both the Under 23 C1 Team and the Junior K1 Team, Phoebe finished the meeting with a solid 9th place in the Junior K1 class.
Phoebe discovered paddling through British Canoeing’s Talent ID programme aged 13, once she tried paddling and found out she enjoyed it Phoebe continued. Now based at Lee Valley White Water Centre in Cheshunt, Phoebe trains with coach Greg Hitchen and is motivated by, “trying to improve,” and to, “excel at the top level.”
Sammy Sullivan joined the British Canoeing Discover Your Power programme when she applied for the UK Sport Discover Your Gold programme in 2017.
Sammy Sullivan Sprint
Sammy joined the British Canoeing Discover Your Power programme when she applied for the UK Sport Discover Your Gold programme in 2017.
Trevor Thompson Sprint Olympic Potential
2018 saw Trevor focus on crew boat racing and he gave a very strong performance at the Under 23 World Championships in Plovdiv finishing 11th in the K4 500m race. Trevor also raced well at World Cup 1 in Szeged in the K2 200m race with Stelian Naftanalia where he finished 4th.
In 2017 Trevor competed in the Junior and Under 23 European Championships in Belgrade. He finished in 10th place in the K2 Under 23 200m with Hamidou Dembele, winning the B final.
Martin Tweedie Paracanoe Olympic Potential
Martin is a back to back World Championship bronze medallist in the V1 VL3 200m in 2016 and 2017.
Since making a place on the GB squad, Martin quickly achieved some early successes winning gold medals at the European Championships in 2013 and 2014, where he also set a new world record, and winning a silver medal in the 2014 World Championships.
Martin had trained hard at the gym and in the boxing ring before a motorbike accident led to the loss of his left leg. Once Martin had recovered from the accident and began to build up his strength again he attended a Paralympic potential camp and became involved in rowing and powerlifting. He was successful in both these sports, which then led to an opportunity to try out for Paracanoe.
Jess Walker Sprint Olympic Potential
Jess s a 3 time Olympian, competing in Bejing in 2008, London in 2012 and Rio in 2016. In Rio, she competed in the K1 200m where she finished 15th and also in the K4 500m, finishing 7th.
Jess’s best World Championship result so far was in 2011 when she was 21, finishing 4th in the final of the K4 500m and also 7th in the K1 200m. In the European Championships in 2016 she won a silver medal in the K1 200. In 2015 she finished 5th in the K4 500m Milan and more recently in 2018 Jess finished 5th in the K1 200m World Championships in Montemor O Velho.
Jess was Junior European Champion in 2007 in the K1 500. During the 2008 Junior European Championships Jess won gold in the K1 1000m and silver in the K1 500 in Szeged. More recently Jess competed in the European Championships in Moscow in 2016, winning silver in the K1 200m and finishing 4th in the K4 500. In 2014 at the European Championships in Brandenberg, she won bronze in the K2 200m.
Jess has had a string of World Cup successes. During World Cup 2 in Racice in 2011, she won bronze in the K1 200m and silver in the K4 500m. In World Cup 3 she won gold in the K4 500m in Duisburg. 2014 saw Jess win gold in World Cup 3 in Szeged in the K2 200m.
She started paddling at age 10, at 16, Jess became Junior World Marathon Champion in a K2 with teammate Louisa Sawers. (2006).
Slalom – Podium Potential
Tom Abbott is a men’s C1 & C2 Slalom Canoeist.
Tom had a strong year in 2018 with a 4th place at the Under 23 European Championships C1 men’s race at Bratislava. He also competed in the Under 23 World Championships in Ivrea and won bronze in the Men’s Team C1 class along with a 10th place in the Men’s C1 where he finished 10th.
Tom had a great year in 2017, with a best individual C1 finish of 8th in the World Championships in Bratislava. He also showed his form in the C1 Team events finishing 4th in Hohenlimberg and 2nd in the Team C1 event at the Junior and Under 23 Championships in Bratislava.
Slalom – Olympic Potential
Paracanoe – Podium Nick Beighton
2018 started well for Nick when he won silver in the K1 200m KL2 at the European Championships in Belgrade, building on the bronze medal he won at the same event in 2017.
Nick’s debut in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games saw him take Bronze in the K1 200m KL2 event. In the previous year, Nick finished 3rd in the K1 200m KL2 event at the World Championships.
Before transitioning to British Canoeing in 2014, Nick competed in Rowing at the London 2012 Paralympics coming 4th in the TAMix2x class.
Previous to his sporting career, Nick was a Captain in the Royal Engineers of the British Army. In 2009, while in Afghanistan, he stood on an explosive device and lost both of his legs.
Chris is a men’s slalom kayaker (K1) and 2019 is his third year on the British Senior Team.
Chris had a great start to 2019 finishing fourth in World Cup 1 at Lee Valley to record his best ever World Cup result.
In 2018 he qualified for his second successive European Championships final where he finished fifth. At the World Championships in Rio, Chris won gold in the Men’s K1 Team event with Joe Clarke and Bradley Forbes-Cryans.
He also still competes at U23 level and in 2017 he came fourth at the U23 World Championships in Bratislava.
Chris is studying Accounting and Finance at University of East London.
Chloe Bracewell Sprint Olympic Potential
2018 saw Chloe achieve a 7th place at the European Championships in Belgrade in the C1 500m class. At the 2018 World Championships in Montemor O Velho Chloe obtained an 11th place in the C1 500m and 12th place in the C2 500m with crew-mate Katie Reid.
Chloe’s best result of 2017 was winning Gold in the C2 200m during World Cup 1 in Montemor-O-Veho, Portugal with Team-mate Bethany Gill.
Chloe joined the UK Sport funded Podium Potential Programme after completing a successful fast track Girls4Gold training programme in 2014 Chloe previously trained and competed in swimming and volleyball and, prior to canoeing, she was recruited to British Rowing’s Start Programme following the London 2012 Olympics.
Chloe has recently graduated from the University of Nottingham Medical School and is now a doctor.
Sprint Victoria Brewer
Victoria joined the British Canoeing Discover Your Power programme when she applied for the UK Sport Discover Your Gold programme in 2017.
Sprint Hannah Brown Olympic Potential
Hannah is a women’s sprint kayaker and is a member of the 2018 British senior team. Her best results in 2018 were two 7th places; 1 in the K4 500m race at World Cup 1 in Szeged and the 2nd in World Cup 2 K4 500m race in Duisberg.
Hannah was a 2012 Olympic Ambition programme athlete. She previously competed in Wild Water Racing winning multiple World Championships and European and World Cup medals.
Hannah has a degree in Marine Biology from Southampton University and works as an Insights Manager
Johnny Young
Ryan Westley Olympic Potential
Ryan is a men’s C1 slalom canoeist and 2019 is his sixth season on the British senior team.
At the opening World Cup at Lee Valley Ryan won bronze in the men’s C1.
Ryan had his best season ever in 2018, becoming the men’s C1 European Champion in Prague. He competed in the final of all four World Cups, demonstrating great consistency at the highest level and won bronze in World Cup 1 in Liptovsky. He then topped off a great season, impressively winning C1 silver at the World Championships in Rio and C1 Team bronze.
In 2015 Ryan won his first individual senior medal – C1 bronze, at the World Championships on his home course at Lee Valley and in 2016 he became the U23 European Champion in C1.
Ryan completed two years of a Sports Science and Management degree at Nottingham Trent University before moving down to Lee Valley to train full-time.
Amy White Sprint
Amy joined the UK Sport funded Discover Your Power talent ID Programme in 2017. Prior to canoeing she played hockey competitive for Scotland before switching to rowing and weight lifting at the University of Edinburgh which she studied a History MA. She was attracted to canoeing due to the introduction of the C1 women’s class in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and was inspired by Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, the first British women to win Olympic Gold in the Women’s Coxless Pair at the 2012 London Olympics.
Amy loves canoeing because of the technical nature of paddling the C1 and would say to anyone thinking of taking up the sport, “Go for it! Don’t be disheartened if it’s hard to balance to start with: it gets easier.”
Emma Wiggs Paracanoe Olympic Potential
Emma is the reigning Olympic and European Champion in the KL2 200m event and the reigning VL2 200m World Champion. She has won a total of severn World Championships and an incredible five European Championships medals throughout her career in paracanoe.
In 2017 Emma achieved the Paracanoe ‘Grand Slam’ holding the Paralympic, European and World titles within the calendar year when she became Paralympic Champion in the KL2 200m at Paracanoe’s debut at the Rio 2016 Paralympics.
In 2012 Emma represented Great Britain in the GB Sitting Volleyball Team at the London Paralympic Games. After the Games she embarked on a mission to find a sport that would give her a chance to be the best she could be and found canoeing was the answer.
Emma grew up in Watford and throughout her schooling was very active, excelling at hockey. When she was 18, she went on a GAP year to Australia and contracted a virus that initially paralysed her and left her with irreparable damaged nerves in her legs. Despite this life changing event Emma was determined to pursue her chosen career as a PE teacher; studying Sports Science and gaining a PGCE in secondary PE, she started work in West Sussex in 200
Stewart Wood Paracanoe – Olympic Potential
Recently joining the World Class Programme in 2019, Stuart graduated from the University of Bath where he studied Maths, Physics and Computer Science, and now works in Software Development in Nottingham. Stuart has a background in Canoe Polo and has paddled in the Men’s K1 200m KL3 since 2015.
Kimberley Woods Slalom – Olympic Potential
Kimberley Woods is a women’s C1 and K1 slalom canoeist and has been a member of the British senior teams since 2012. She won her first senior C1 medal the following year at the World Cup in Cardiff and has gone from strength to strength.
She got 2019 off to a strong start winning C1 silver at World Cup 1 at Lee Valley, also finishing fourth in K1. In the last race before the World Championships she again claimed C1 silver at the World Cup Final in Prague to ensure she celebrated a happy birthday!
Kimberley has a strong track record at the European Championships becoming senior European Champion in C1 in 2015 and 2017 and also has two junior and one U23 European title in this event. In 2019 she won the C1 Team event for a fourth successive time with teammates Mallory Franklin and Sophie Ogilvie.
At the 2018 World Championships in Rio she retained her C1 Team title and also won bronze in the K1 Team event.
Kimberley’s individual medal success in 2018 came in what was her final year in the U23 World Championships, winning silver in the C1 and bronze in the K1 as well as a bronze in the K1 Team event. This kept up her impressive record of winning a C1 medal at every U23 World Championship she competed in 2015-2018.
She has won a total of nine individual World Cup medals to date including three gold in C1 and one silver in K1.
Kimberley has a degree in Sports Studies from Hertfordshire University.
Jonathan Youn Paracanoe – Olympic Potential
Jonny Young had a strong season 2018 in the K1 KL3 200m class: 5th place in World Cup 1 in Szeged, a 6th place in the European Championships in Belgrade and finishing off with an 11th place in the World Championships in Montemor O Velho.
In his first full season of racing in 2014 he won silver medals at the European and World Championships. However once the Paralympic boat classes were selected, he switched from Va’a to Kayak. This is a huge technical challenge and he has made great progress in a short time to finish 8th at the 2016 World Championships. Jonny finished second at the British Canoeing Paralympic selection trials to just miss out on selection for Rio 2016.
Before sustaining a spinal injury Jonathan was a multi-activity instructor, including kayak, canoeing, climbing and skiing. He even cycled across North America to raise money for charity.
While at Stoke Mandeville, he took part in the Inter Spinal Unit Games competing in every sport available to him. He recognised the importance of sport in his rehabilitation, so when he was discharged he looked to do sport full time. He attended a talent ID weekend for Paracanoe and was soon training full time for British Canoeing.
Being able to commit to the sport full time bore great results, not only measured in racing success but also in improvements with his mobility; initially he was mostly in a wheelchair, but now he uses only an ankle support and stick.
signsofanopencity 
You must be logged in to post a comment.