British Olympic Association names four canoe slalom athletes for Rio 2016
Thursday 5 November 2015 06:25, UK
The British Olympic Association (BOA) has named the four canoe slalom athletes officially selected to compete for Team GB at next summer's Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The athletes selected to Team GB across the four events are David Florence, Richard Hounslow, Fiona Pennie and Joe Clarke.
With nine months to go until the start of Rio 2016, canoeing becomes the second sport to announce athletes for the Games following the eight sailors named in September.
Two of the four selected paddlers represented Team GB at London 2012: silver medallists Florence and Hounslow who are paired together again in the men's canoe double (C2) event.
Richard, who will turn 34 in December, also teamed up with Florence to win C2 World Championships gold in 2013.
Florence, who will also race in the men's canoe single (C1) event, is a double Olympic medallist having taken C1 silver at Beijing 2008 and he is the first canoe slalom athlete to be selected for three successive Olympic Games.
David is the current C1 world champion, having claimed his third world title back in September on the Olympic course at Lee Valley White Water Centre.
The second Scot on the team, Fiona Pennie, represented Team GB at the Olympic Games in Beijing 2008. Since missing out on London 2012, Fiona has come back stronger than ever, becoming European champion in 2013 and world silver medallist in 2014. She will once again take the seat in the women's kayak single (K1) for Rio.
Clarke will compete in the men's kayak single (K1) and make his Olympic debut in Rio. He has been the British team's most consistent paddler in this highly competitive event over the last three years and won World Cup silver in 2014.
Team GB Canoeing team leader John Anderson said: "Our athletes have been tested throughout a long and challenging season and I am confident we have selected one of our strongest teams ever, with a huge depth of experience of competing and winning medals at the highest level.
"Selecting our team at this early stage allows us to fully maximise the opportunity to paddle on the new canoe slalom course in Rio which is crucial, with a test event and training blocks starting later this month. Over the next 10 months we will fine tune our preparations to ensure we are best placed to challenge for the podium next August."
