The search for future Olympians got underway in the Copper Box at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park this week as the first Girls4Gold: Canoeing testing day took place.
Over 650 applicants were whittled down to just over 450 to test at five sessions across the UK, with the first being in the iconic London 2012 venue. 120 girls aged 15-25 were invited to the Copper Box to be put through their paces by the UK Sport Performance Pathways team.
Also in attendance were Girls4Gold ambassadors London 2012 Olympic gold medallist Katherine Grainger and GB Canoe’s Angela Hannah and Hannah Brown, who were on hand to cheer on the trialists and offer advice.
The girls were split into age groups and had to complete a series of anthropometric, strength and aerobic fitness, which pushed their abilities to the limit.
Those successful will be invited to Phase Two of testing in February, where they will undergo further screening and have the chance to test their water balance and agility.
Girls4Gold is being run in conjunction with the English Institute of Sport and GB Canoeing and is seeking talented female athletes with the potential to reach the podium in canoeing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.
To find out more about Girls4Gold and other Talent ID schemes, visit the Performance Pathway area of our website.