Performance is a journey, not a destination

UK Sport's Senior Performance Advisor, Andy McSweeney for British Canoeing around the Canoe Slalom World Championships 2023

It's been an incredible summer of sport for British athletes, both at home and abroad. And whilst the schools are back and the weather might be on the turn, there is more sporting drama to come with the best paddlers on the planet going head to head at the Canoe Slalom World Championships in Lee Valley.

The London 2012 Olympic venue has delivered a strong legacy for canoeing in this country and now provides the permanent home for the British Canoeing Slalom World Class Programme. Lee Valley is widely regarded as one of the best whitewater courses in the world and undoubtedly provides a competitive edge for those lucky enough to train on it every day.

As well as being maintained to a very high standard in the intervening years since the London Games, additional facility improvements, supported by Sport England and the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, have also helped the venue to move with the times.

One of the new features that will be used for the first time in international competition this week is the permanent start ramp for the new Olympic discipline of Kayak Cross, where athletes race down the course side by side in agile plastic boats, navigating various obstacles in a battle to the finish. It's one you won't want to miss!

For each of the 12 GB athletes taking to the water, performing in front of friends and family at a home World Championships is a special occasion and one to be savoured. And the aspiration is that these championships will also act as a major plot-point on a longer-term journey towards future Olympic success, with the next edition in Paris 2024 now tantalisingly close and quota places up for grabs over the coming days.

In canoe slalom, as in life, multiple different paths could be taken and everyone is at a different stage in their own personal journey. The likes of Joe Clarke (Men's K1 & K1X), Mallory Franklin (Women's C1, K1 & K1X), Kimberley Woods (Women's K1, C1 & K1X) and Ryan Westley (Men's C1) will be looking to build on their previous World Championship podium performances by delivering their very best on home water. By contrast, local athletes Phoebe Spicer (Women’s K1) and James Kettle (Men’s C1) will both race in their first senior World Championships, having been inspired to get involved in the sport by the events that played out here in London 2012 - a true legacy in action.

For me, and for many of my colleagues at UK Sport, this week will provide an opportunity to step back and witness the culmination of countless hours of work and significant investment in both the event itself and in the performance programme that enables athletes to pursue their dreams.

As Performance Advisor to British Canoeing for the last 6 years, I've had the privilege of working alongside the fantastic leaders, the frontline coaches & practitioners and the administrators who work tirelessly behind the scenes to bring the sport's performance strategy to life. Whilst some of their work may go unseen at times, these dedicated people work day and night to help make athletes' dreams a reality. In turn, I aim to be a trusted partner and a valued companion, travelling with the sport as they navigate their course towards future success.

Whatever twists and turns we might take in pursuit of performance, above all else this week is a chance for me to be a genuine fan of canoeing. Watching the athletes and staff doing what they do best and striving for that optimal race delivery, at a single moment in time, is truly inspiring stuff. It never gets old.

All the very best to everyone competing and to those involved in the delivery of the World Championships. It's your time to shine and we're all behind you!

More information about the event can be found here https://britishcanoeingevents.org.uk/slalom2023/