Europe here I come....

In exactly 2 weeks time I will be racing for Great Britain at the sprint kayak European championships in Portugal. 


This will be an incredible championship, not just for me, but for para canoe as a whole. This is the first international championships of the new olympic cycle. It is also the first cycle that para canoe, (which will debut at Rio) will be included.
 I'm sure that because of this, new nations will be competing and new talent will be showcased. Athletes will have transferred from other sports into paracanoe and undoubtetly there will be many unknowns and 'dark horses' at this first international race. 

What I do know is that many nations will be upping their game now that para canoe is an Olympic sport and Olympic medals are the ultimate goal.  New names will be put on podiums and new records will almost certainly be set. 

I am really looking forward to this race. I have been training hard for the last 7 months and despite this being my first international race in a kayak I'm excited more than nervous. 

I'm excited to see how I compare with the other new talent out there, I'm excited to see if my training aiming to change me from an endurance cyclist to a sprint kayaker has worked, and probably most of all, I'm excited to be racing against the established names in para canoe.