Four Gold and one Bronze medal - GB's best ever Euro medal haul
Subscribe
Angela Hannah (Third left) with the rest of the women's kayak four team
aephotos.zenfolio.com
Related content
EIS 07 July 2010
British sprint canoeing has given the greatest signal yet that it is on track for the London 2012 Olympics by producing its best results since the inception of the European Sprint Racing Championships with four golds, one bronze and ten finals reached at the regatta in Trasona, Spain at the weekend.
Amongst the team was Angela Hannah [PDF, 70k] in the women’s kayak four, one of two athletes identified through a UK Talent Team (UK Sport & English Institute of Sport) campaign, who finished 5th on her international debut in the final of the 500m Olympic event alongside crew mates Abi Edmonds, Hayleigh Mason and Jenna Hawkey. The crew had been set a target of finishing in the top six by Women’s squad coach Miklos Simon, and Hannah said afterwards, “That was fantastic. I just can’t believe how well it’s gone.”
Fellow Debutant Richard Jefferies, who only started canoeing in 2007 having been identified via the Sporting Giants initiative, looked completely at home at international level, and despite not making the final, his 11th place represents a significant step in his canoeing career. He said: “I was disappointed not to make the final, but I felt I was in touch. I’m looking forward to training hard again and improving.”
Topping the podium were Rachel Cawthorn (Women’s kayak single 1000m), Ed McKeever (Men’s kayak single 200m), Liam Heath and Jon Schofield (men’s kayak double 200m), along with Lani Belcher (Women’s kayak single 5km).
The European continent represents the power base of the sport, with many of the best athletes from leading nations such as Hungary, Germany and Russia all present in Spain with the results providing an indication of who is in form ahead of the World Championships being held in just six weeks time.
National Performance Coach Brendan Purcell was clearly delighted with the squad’s performance: “Firstly in achieving ten A finals we were breaking new ground” he said. “To convert 50% of those finals into medals is really pleasing.”
Performance Director John Anderson added: “These results will give the whole squad a great boost. We’re keeping the ball flat and not getting ahead of ourselves. There is still plenty of work to be done. We have to keep ahead of the game, we’ve already made strides forward in our strategy and coaching, whilst we’re keep an eye on technology as regards equipment. It’s marginal gains that will keep us ahead of the pack.”
Natalie Dunman, a Talent Identification Scientist from the UK Talent Team, says: “We began working with canoeing in 2007, supporting them in the area of Talent ID and Development to ensure the net was cast as far and wide as possible to identify the best possible talent for 2012 and beyond.
"Transferring athletes in from other sports and developing them in relatively short time frames is a massive challenge but one that the athletes, coaches and support staff were eager to take on. It’s great to see Angela and Richard taking an important step in their development on their senior major championship debut, and Rachel’s success shows what can be achieved when you match outstanding potential with the right coaching and training environment.”
For all the results and reports from the weekend visit the new GB Canoeing website.
Most Viewed
- 2010 medal targets announced by UK Sport
- 2011 major events announced as UK Sport aims to set 'international benchmark' for host nations
- Latest Mission 2012 report shows British sport on track for London
- Liz Nicholl: Being inspired by young people in Jordan
- International Inspiration Ambassador, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson marks International Day for Disabled People
Explore UK Sport
The A to Z directory of UK Sport
