CANOEING was first seen as a demonstration sport at the 1924 Olympics and became a full sport at the Berlin Games 12 years later.

Britain has competed in every Canoeing competition and won their first medal, a silver in 1992 which was won by Gareth Marriott in the men's C-1 slalom. Helen Reeves in the K-1 slalom event in 2004 was the first and only British woman to win a canoeing medal. Tim Brabants (below) has won a record three canoeing medals for Britain.

BAILLIE, Timothy
Born: 11 May 1979, Aberdeen, Scotland
Olympics competed in: 1 (2012)
Olympic medals: 2012 - Gold (Men's C-2 Slalom)

A member of the Aberdeen Kayak Club, Tim Baillie started in K-1 racing before switching to C-2 in which he won the Olympic gold medal in 2012 with Etienne Stott. Baillie and Stott had previously won the bronze medal at the 2009 and 2011 world championships.

Watched by a fanatical home crowd of over 12,000 at the Lee Valley White Water Centre, they were the first of the six finalists to race, as they were the slowest of the six qualifiers, but their time was not beaten as they took the Olympic gold. Fellow Britons David Florence and Richard Hounslow took the silver medal.

Tim Baillie's uncle, Mike Jones, was a famous 1970s kayak adventurer and completed many famous first descents including the Dudh Kosi, a river which runs off Mount Everest. He lost his life in 1978 on the Braldu River, which runs off K2 (Godwin-Austen), while trying to save the life of a friend.

Tim has a First Class degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Nottingham. He was awarded an MBE in the 2013 Honours List for his services to canoeing.

Top of the page

Tim Brabants, sometimes known as "Traddle" is Britain's most decorated Olympic canoeist with three medals and in winning the gold medal in the K-1 1000 metres sprint at Beijing in 2008 he became Britain's first ever canoeing or kayaking gold medallist.

He won his first Olympic medal in Sydney in 2000 and after a disappointing Games in 2004, he won bronze and gold in 2008 in the K-1 500 and 1000 metres races respectively.

Brabants won one world championship gold medal (K-1 1000 metres) in 2007, the first by a Briton for 20 years, and won three sprint silver medals as well as the K-2 marathon silver at the 1998 world canoe marathon championship. He was also the K-2 500 metres world junior champion in 1995, one year after making his Great Britain debut.

He went to Nottingham University and is a qualified doctor. He was a member of the Nottingham Kayak and Royal Nottingham Canoe clubs. He started rowing at the age of ten for the Elmridge Canoe Club in Weybridge, Surrey.

Brabants was awarded the MBE for services to Kayaking in the 2009 New Year's Honours List.

Top of the page

The winner of the Canoe Sprint World Championship K-1 200 metres title in 2010, and runner-up in 2011, Ed McKeever won the event when it made its Olympic debut in 2012. He won both his heats at Eton Dorney before edging out the Spaniard Saúl Craviotto in the final and winning by three/tenths of a second.

He warmed up for the Olympics by winning the K-1 200 metres World Cup in Poland a couple of months before the London Games.

McKeever was a member of the Bradford on Avon Canoe Club, having taken up the sport in 1995. He made his debut for Great Britain in the United States in 2003. He studied accountancy at Kingston (upon Thames) University.

Ed was awarded an MBE in the 2013 Honours List.

Top of the page

STOTT, Etienne
Born: 30 June 1979, Manchester, England
Olympics competed in: 1 (2012)
Olympic medals: 2012 - Gold (Men's C-2 Slalom)

Etienne Stott started life in K-1 racing but switched to C-2 and in 2012 he had his greatest moment when he won the Olympic gold medal with Tim Baillie.

Stott and Baillie won world championship bronze medals in 2009 and 2011 and in 2012 captured the European title.

Although born in Manchester 'Eti' was brought up in Bedford and was a member of the Viking Kayak Club. He met Tim Baillie when they were both studying mechanical engineering at Nottingham University. Stott was awarded an MBE in the 2013 Honours List for his services to canoeing.

Top of the page

Return to SPORTS index | Go to CONTENTS page

www.gbolympics.co.uk is the copyright of Ian Morrison © 2013 and permission to use any of the information must first be obtained in writing and this website should also be accredited when using material from it. Webmaster and copyright owner: igmsantaponsa@atlas.com.es