Interview : Peter Tranter Photos : PeakPS Since competed internationally since 2009 , Mallory has become Great Britain ' s most successful female canoeist , having won 16 World Championship medals – seven gold , five silver and four bronze . Franklin won slalom silver at Tokyo 2020 in the first ever Olympic women ' s C1 race and this year wants to go one step further this summer and win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics . Take it away Mallory …
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A chat with … Mallory
FRANKLIN
Interview : Peter Tranter Photos : PeakPS Since competed internationally since 2009 , Mallory has become Great Britain ' s most successful female canoeist , having won 16 World Championship medals – seven gold , five silver and four bronze . Franklin won slalom silver at Tokyo 2020 in the first ever Olympic women ' s C1 race and this year wants to go one step further this summer and win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics . Take it away Mallory …
Before we start , please tell our readers a little about yourself , your family , your background , where you come from , etc . My name is Mallory Franklin . I am 29 years old , a Team GB Canoe Slalom athlete and Great Britain ’ s most successful slalom athlete . I grew up in Windsor , Berkshire ; I have two brothers , one older and one younger . I have always been active , but canoeing was my first love , and it stuck .
Tell us about your early days of slalom – when did you discover the sport , what appealed to you and what caused the bug to bite ? I was five years old when I started canoeing ; it was a complete fluke ; my family were looking to find something for me and my brothers to do , and the local leisure centre didn ’ t have anything of interest , but next door was the local canoe club that was having an open day , with a barbecue and all the boats for us to try , I jumped on the water and never looked back . I loved the feeling of being on the water , the freedom of being in control of my own space and the challenge that came from the water .
Tell us about the spots you paddle / train the most frequently , and where is your favourite ? I train full-time at the Lee Valley Whitewater Centre ; it is my favourite venue in the world , although I may be a little biased . We paddle at some truly amazing venues , but I will always be attached to my home course .
How different is your training for Kayak Cross from that of Slalom itself ? Kayak cross training is pretty similar to slalom , but there are slightly more physical components , such as the boat being heavier and the mechanics of the sport being different . Also , it ’ s a bit back to basics as it ’ s a new discipline , and we are just learning the techniques , so there are quite a few sessions trying to dial in those new techniques .
Take us through your mindset when preparing for a race . I try to focus on myself and my strengths . Racing is stressful for me , and I can get quite anxious , but over the years , focusing on myself and my strengths has helped me try to stay relaxed on race day .
What do you consider to be the most challenging manoeuvre in slalom ? It can depend on the course ; the big moves on stoppers are generally quite hard .
You are GB ’ s most successful female paddler – does one competition stand out ? The Olympic Games have to be the stand-out competition ; I mean , it ’ s the Games .
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