THERE is no doubt this week’s World Canoe Slalom Championships at Lee Valley will recapture the essence of London 2012. Athletes from 55 countries will attempt to tame the Hertfordshire course, extensively upgraded since the last Olympics, and the Great Britain team is optimistic of some precious metal.
Crieff’s Fiona Pennie has twice been on the podium at a World Championships – in 2006 and 2014 – both times having to settle for silver.
Last year in Deep Creek, Maryland, Australian Jessica Fox pipped the 2013 European champion by a fraction of a second in the final run.
At the end of a modest season by her own standards, Pennie has an added incentive to succeed on her home course.Her Olympic experience three years ago was not what she would have wished, watching from the stands as fellow Scots Tim Baillie (in the canoe doubles with Etienne Stott) and David Florence (with Richard Hounslow) won gold and silver respectively.
In the cut-throat selection process, Pennie – who had competed in Beijing – was left out of the British team.
“Missing out on London has given me the drive to get to the next Olympics,” she said. “I had good results in 2012 and won a bronze medal at the European Championships but, unfortunately, it was a few weeks after the selection races.
“I watched the Olympic races from the stands at Lee Valley and I was there when the boys won their medals – it was a great day for them.
“I had mixed feelings watching the women’s racing; I was cheering the British girls on but I was disappointed not to be there racing.”
Pennie chose to miss a couple of World Cup races this summer to concentrate on her training at Lee Valley in a bid to ensure she performs to her optimum. She believes home advantage can be crucial for the British team with Florence aiming to repeat his double gold triumph in Prague two years ago.
“It will be a great thing for us. We’ve been training here and it’s important to have the experience of the whitewater and learn the moves. We have them well pinned into our brains for the World Championships,” she said. “It will also be good to have home support behind us. Last year’s World Cup was great when we came away with the team gold medal and the spectators were loving it.
“To have that at the World Championships will be even better and it’ll be great to perform in front of that.”
There are four Scots taking part this week with youngsters Eilidh Gibson and Bradley Forbes-Cryans also in the frame. Anything they can achieve will be a bonus but Pennie, at 32, knows a chance like this will not come around again.
Fox will be defending her title and GB team-mates Lizzie Neave and Kimberley Woods will also fancy their chances of a medal in the kayak.
“You always just focus on what you are doing yourself. If you start focusing on other people’s times then you start losing what you are doing,” Pennie said. “You have to keep yourself in the moment and thinking about each gate.
“If you start thinking about chasing times, then you rush things and make mistakes and then it all comes unstuck.”
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