Linlithgow sprint kayaker Kristina Armstrong returns with two medals from Junior/U23 World Championships

The 18-year-old travelled out to represent British Canoeing at the 2023 International Canoe Federation (ICF) Junior and U23 Canoe Sprint World Championships, which were held in Italy.

She firstly raced to bronze solo, claiming Great Britain’s first medal of the competition in the process.

It was some performance from Kristina amongst a very strong field of athletes and she crossed the finish in a time of 40.87 seconds to secure Team GB's first international medal of the event, to cheers from the British support.

The day after, Armstrong joined forces with Dylan O’Connor (Richmond) in the junior mixed K2 500m.

The duo raced to third place during a fantastic performance in the junior mixed K2 500m A Final, with Kristina winning her second medal of the competition.

The final itself was a great battle and too close to call at the halfway stage. With four boats vying for the three podium spots, Dylan and Kristina found some additional strength to put some distance between themselves and the Serbian crew, to take third spot in a time of 1:36.91, less than a second off the gold medal.

Kristina concluded her impressive World Championships with a fifth place finish in the A Final of the Junior K1 women’s 500m. It was another great performance from the Scottish athlete as she put down her quickest time of the rounds so far, finishing in 1:57.85 to get the top five finish, a big result that she will take into the junior Europeans Championships in a few weeks time.

Speaking after her solo medal, Kristina told British Canoeing: “I am so excited. It has been a long time coming to get a medal at a World Champs, so to finally get it now it is a reality is really emotion.

"It was only 200m so it was just a case of powering down and going as fast as you could possibly go. You just want to get the finish line and I knew I would be up there but to hear my name after it was just amazing.

"This proves to me that I can do it and I have so much more in me to give. It has been a dream for so long."

On her doubles medal, she added: “To go out and win a medal with someone you haven’t trained with that much on the World Champs stage is amazing. We worked so well together and it doesn’t get much bigger for us at this age level so it is just a brilliant moment for us both.”

A spokesperson for Kristina’s club Linlithgow Kayak Club said: “Kristina has always been such a fabulous a role model for LKR, ever since she started paddling at only 8 years old.

"She is consistently positive and always encouraging her fellow LKR club members, whether coaching at club sessions or providing words of encouragement during races, she is a joy to have around.

"Everyone at LKR is over the moon with her World Championship successes and we can't wait to see where this will lead.

" We are of course very hopeful that one day, everyone will see her beaming smile, representing Team GB at the Olympic Games. Watch this space! Our money is on her for sure!