Eilidh celebrates achieving her distant goal to make team GB

KINROSS TEENAGER Eilidh Gibson was celebrating after securing her place in the Great Britain canoe slalom team for the international season.

The 18-year-old secured one of the three places in the team after impres- sive performances at the trials at LeeValley over the weekend.

“I’ve had rubbish winters before with injuries, so I knew this was the best I’ve been paddling, but I told myself I would do my best and see how it goes,” she said.

“Getting in the senior team was a very far away goal for me but my coach always said I could do it.”

Gibson, who has also been named in the British U23 team, is currently on a gap year before she takes up a place at Edinburgh University.

Crieff’s Fiona Pennie secured her place in kayak singles after she produced consistently high performances over the weekend trials.

“There is a lot of pressure around and you can tell the atmosphere is pretty tense, but it’s just racing at the end of the day,” the current European champion said.

“This year I want to go back and defend the European title, be at the world cups and doing well. Then it will be the world championships in America.”

Double Olympic silver medallist David Florence missed the trials, but has secured his place in the canoe singles and doubles as world champion in both.

Eve Muirhead.