Former karate champion Reid sets sights on 2020 Olympics

Katie Reid is reaping the rewards of an unlikely sporting switch as she prepares to head to next week’s European games in minsk.

The 24-year-old from Dunfermline racked up a heap of Scottish karate titles as a junior before a chance enrolment on the “Girls4gold” talent identification programme led to her re-surfacing as a canoe sprint star.

For Reid, who is now targeting qualification for next year’s Tokyo Olympics in the new C2 category along with partner Chloe Bracewell, the transition from combat to canoe was not exactly seamless.

“I loved doing karate but when I got to university I wanted a different challenge and the opportunity to try sprint canoeing came up,” said Reid.

“I basically spent the first year falling out of boats. I was at the level where if I stayed in the boat for ten seconds, as opposed to five seconds the previous day, I felt I’d made progress.

“It was freezing cold and I often wondered what I was doing. But I’m very stubborn and there was no way I was going to give up. I’ve always wanted to go to the Olympics, and I saw that this was my chance.”

Coincidentally, Reid’s switch between sports came around the time that karate had been accepted into the Olympics for the first time.

Although it is on the Tokyo programme, it has been dropped again for Paris in 2024.

Despite the lack of evident similarities between the two sports, Reid believes her upbringing in karate has helped her succeed in her new sport – particularly during those difficult early days.

“Karate taught me a lot in terms of discipline, commitment and focus. If I hadn’t done karate, I wouldn’t be as strong psychologically as I am now.

“When you first start off it feels incredibly uncomfortable and unnatural. I feel I’ve adapted well.

“Chloe and I are a new team, so Minsk is really about getting more race experience as we look towards Tokyo next year.”