Britain’s top slalom athletes kick-started a new Olympic cycle as they battled for 2025 international team selection at Lee Valley White Water Centre.
The London 2012 legacy venue played host to the first two rounds of selection over the weekend, with athletes moving up to the National Water Sports Centre between 12/13 April to complete the series.
Across the series, athletes will take on four rounds of canoe slalom selection, taking their best three results forward to count towards selection.
In kayak cross, points are added up across two time-trials and two head-to-head events.
After a successful 2024 season, which saw four Olympic medals won in Paris and over 30 more across the international season, a star-studded line-up graced the sun-soaked Lee Valley.
Amongst the start-list were Paris medallists Kimberley Woods, Adam Burgess and Joe Clarke MBE.
Olympic silver medallist Adam Burgess (Stafford & Stone) is already pre-selected to the team after his success last summer, but still opted to race and to great success. Burgess took two race wins in the men’s canoe, but his results will be scratched from the selection process.
That means 2023 European Champion Ryan Westley (Lower Wharfe) claimed maximum points with two victories in the selection process, whilst Peter Linksted (Falkirk & Stirling) and James Kettle (Lee Valley) secured a second place each to get points on the board.
U23 world silver medallist Kurts Adams Rozentals (Stafford & Stone) topped both U23 standings, whilst Thomas Kent (Stafford & Stone) and Talu Aysan (Lee Valley) took a win each in the junior process.
Although pre-selected in the women’s kayak and kayak cross due to her double Olympic bronze success in the French capital, Kimberley Woods (Rugby) was in women’s canoe action.
Woods took a win and a second place to put her in strong contention for the 2025 senior team, whilst 2021 U23 World Champion Beth Forrow (Lee Valley) too enjoyed great success as she returns to racing after having a baby in 2023, winning race two and finishing third in race one.
Ellis Miller (Lee Valley) took a second place in her senior selection campaign, whilst she secured strong points in the U23 process.
Looking to compete on the international stage once again, Zoe Blythe-Shields (Lee Valley) enjoyed another successful campaign, topping both junior standings.
It was an impressive day for U23 European Champion Ben Haylett (Holme Pierrepont) as he charged to two race wins in the senior men’s kayak.
Jake Brown (Tees Tigers) enjoyed a great day with a second place in his bid for senior seelction, whilst Jonah Harahan too took a second place, meaning he tops the U23s alongside Oscar Wyllie (Breadalbane).
Incredibly tight racing saw 2023 World Champion Joe Clarke with a third and fourth before racing moves to Nottingham in two weeks.
Gwion Williams (Llandysul) was the standout junior, winning both races in the junior selection table.
A first and a second put U23 World Champion Lois Leaver (Edinburgh Schools) in strong contention for both senior and U23 women’s kayak selection.
Phoebe Spicer (Lee Valley) also banked a race win in her senior selection campaign, whilst Nikita Setchell (Holme Pierrepont) too secured some important points heading into Nottingham in a fortnight.
Arina Kontchakov (Lee Valley) and Zoe Blythe-Shields both took a win each as they look to reach the junior team once again.
With Clarke and Woods both pre-selected in the kayak cross for their Olympic silver and bronze medals, respectively, there were some intense battles during Sunday’s racing.
In the women’s event, it was international medallists Leaver and Setchell who put themselves in strong contention for the 2025 team. A three-time U23 World Champion, Setchell won the first head-to-head contest, with Leaver winning the second event.
Junior world medallist Kontchakov dominated selections for the junior team, winning both head-to-heads and time-trials.
A multiple medallist in the discipline, Sam Leaver (Edinburgh Schools was a standout performer in the men’s event, winning the second round of head-to-head, whilst World Cup gold medallist Jonny Dickson (CR Cats) was on excellent form too, taking the time-trial and head-to-head wins in round one.
Gwion Williams continued his successful weekend as he dominated the junior men’s field, winning every round of selection to top the standings.
Athletes will now make preparations for the next stage of selection when they head up to the National Water Sports Centre to compete in more canoe slalom action between 12-13 April.
Check out Antony Edmond’s photos from the weekend here