Great Britain’s senior canoe slalom team are ready to take the next step on the road to Rio, when their international season gets underway at the European Championships in Markkleeberg, Germany on Friday (29 May).
The British team of 14 athletes include’s Crieff’s Fiona Pennie in the women’s kayak single (K1W).
Pennie will be seeking to regain the European title she won in 2013.
The 2014 World silver medallist knows the Markkleeberg course well, having come third in an ICF Ranking event there in March, as part of her pre-season warm up. The British team has also enjoyed a two week training camp at the venue earlier this month, in a bid to optimise their preparations.
She said: “The course doesn’t have as many big features as Lee Valley, however it’s fast flowing and there are quite a few technical sections. Being consistent on the features is key, particularly on the biggest drop which comes fairly early on the course. The eddies are also quite different to Lee Valley with many of them being quite narrow and fast. “I’ve spent quite a lot of time in Markkleeberg recently over the last couple of months as I had never visited the course before this year and having won a bronze medal at the end of March, I know that I can perform well here. I’m at the most powerful I have been and have been fast around the upstreams. Using my knowledge of the features to be efficient and sticking to my plan should put me in good stead, which is important in the early stages of our Olympic selection year.”
Eilidh Gibson (Strathallan) is also in the British squad.