The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Perthshire canoeist earns Team GB spot
Student Gibson can look forward to a busy year after top-three finish at Lee Valley
International canoe slalom athlete Eilidh Gibson, of Kinnesswood in Perthshire, enjoyed a fantastic start to the season after a fine performance at British Canoeing’s selection trials saw her secure a place in Great Britain’s senior team.
Following three days of intense competition, Gibson achieved the required overall top-three finish and will now represent Team GB in the women’s C1 class at this year’s Senior World and European Championships, in France and Slovenia respectively, as well as the international World Cup series and under-23 World Championships in Slovakia.
Gibson said: “Coming into the weekend I was struggling with a bit of an injury so I’m very happy to get close to my plans on all my runs.
“I haven’t allowed myself the chance to think about the summer too much as I’ve been taking things one step at a time but there’s loads of really exciting races.
“Now I’ve just got to finish my exams and then I can look forward to the racing. It will be busy with senior and under 23s, but I’m really excited for it.”
As well as determining the team for the season, the trials, held at Lee Valley Whitewater Centre, also represented the beginning of a new Olympic cycle which Gibson dreams will lead her to the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Having been introduced to the sport at a young age by her parents (her mum competed for GB and her dad for Scotland), Gibson, who studies at Edinburgh University, competes in the single-bladed women’s C1 class which will be included in a Games for the first time.
“My ultimate dream is to be the one person from Britain that gets to go to the Olympics in C1 women’s debut year and win gold,” said Gibson, who makes regular trips to Lee Valley to train in the same group as three-times Olympic silver medallist, David Florence.
“You can see the numbers of C1 women are expanding exponentially because countries are giving these girls funding and support.
“It will be pretty hard because Britain is the strongest in the world in C1W but it’s really exciting to be in an ambitious group of girls that are coming through here and this is our chance.”
There are other young Scottish C1 paddlers following behind Gibson with Forth Valley student Sophie Ogilvie, and Rachel Houston, from Strathclyde University, also enjoying relative success at the trials and securing places in the wider GB squad for certain events.
Gibson, Houston and Ogilvie are three of 150 students supported by Winning Students, Scotland’s national sports scholarships programme for student athletes.
Through the programme they receive funding support and the academic flexibility required to perform at the highest level in sport and studies.
My ultimate dream is to be the one person from Britain that gets to go to the Olympics in C1 women’s debut year and win gold. EILIDH GIBSON