Canoeist Louise Revell will compete for a place on the British team this weekend at the prestigious Wildwater World Championships in Vienna just two months after taking up the sport.
The 18-year-old, from Pitnacree in Highland Perthshire, was a member of the British junior slalom team that competed in the 2014 European Championships and only discovered wildwater better known as river racing through a club in Glasgow.
The differences between the two disciplines are dramatic. River racing requires a much longer boat and different paddles.
The Strathclyde University student said: “I didn’t realise how tricky river racing would be until I tried it.
“Because the boat is so long, it makes it difficult to turn, making it a challenge to hold the fastest line for the duration of a race.”
Louise, who took up canoeing in her final year of primary school, added: “My coach keeps telling me this weekend is going to be a big event and I’m struggling to grasp this concept because it is such a small sport in Britain.
“I’m also quite nervous because the water in Vienna is bigger than anything I have paddled on.”
Louise is one of only 150 students to be supported by Winning Students, Scotland’s national sports scholarships programme for student athletes.