Brabants heads squad
Tim Brabants will compete in his fourth Olympic Games this summer after being named in the GB squad.
Last Updated: 14/06/12 1:37pm
Tim Brabants will compete in his fourth Olympic Games this summer. He was named among the nine athletes selected by the British Olympic Association to represent Team GB in the flat-water Canoe Sprint.
Brabants, Edward McKeever, Liam Heath, Jonathan Schofield, Jessica Walker, Rachel Cawthorn, Angela Hannah and Louisa Sawers will compete in the kayak across six events, with Richard Jefferies racing in the canoe in two events.
Brabants will be defending the K1 1000m crown he won in Beijing in 2008.
Veteran
Andy Hunt, Team GB chef de mission, said: "The Canoe Sprint team has really progressed since Tim Brabants won the first ever medal for Team GB by taking bronze in Sydney back in 2000.
"Having a veteran and defending Olympic champion like Tim in the team will be a huge inspiration to everyone involved, and it is a chance for the younger competitors and the debutants to use that kind of motivation to create their own Olympic legacy."
However, the 35-year-old had to come through a best-of-three race-off with compatriot Paul Wycherley to secure his place in this year's Games.
He added: "I am really excited to be selected for my fourth Olympic Games. Now the selection process is complete, I can really focus on defending my Olympic title in London 2012."
Competition
The Olympics this year mark the first time 200m events have been included, with Heath and Schofield expected to shine in the men's K2, following their two silver medals in their World Cup events as well as a silver medal at the World Championships in Szeged in 2011.
Walker and McKeever line-up in the individual 200m women's and men's events respectively, while sole British canoeist Jefferies will also compete in the shorter format as well as the C1 1000m.
Rachel Cawthorn became the first British woman to win a medal at the World Championships with bronze in Poznan two years ago and in London she will compete in the women's K1 500m.
The two individual female kayakers will combine their efforts in the women's K4 500m alongside Louisa Sawers and Angela Hannah, both of whom are making their first appearance at an Olympic Games.
