British canoe champ 'paddled local rivers' as a boy

An athlete who has become the first Briton to win the K1 Senior Men's Canoe Marathon European Championships says the achievement is only beginning to sink in.

James Russell, 27, said he started out by paddling on the two rivers running through Chelmsford - the Can and the Chelmer - as a young Scout at the age of 10.

The Chelmsford Canoe Club member told BBC Essex how he took on the 30m course to win, saying it was all about timing that final push.

"Coming into the last portage, weighing up my opponents and working out how much everyone had left, and then once I got round the last turn - the last 100m or so - it was just all in, everything you had and luckily it was enough," he said.

"It usually takes us about two hours or so to complete the race so it was pretty action packed," he said.

Russell won the European title in Ponte De Lima, Portugal, on 7 June, in a race time of 02:06:32 over eight laps.

The method of his win has been described as a "tactical masterclass".

Russell paid tribute to his former Scout leader, who introduced him to paddling after he joined Chelmsford swimming club as a boy.

"That's how I got into it, ever since the age of 10, I've been down at Chelmsford swimming club learning how to paddle fast, and it's paid off," he said.

Russell, now based in Nottingham, was looking forward to the World Games in China, which are held every four years.

Canoe marathons are not an Olympic discipline, although sprinting set distances on regatta courses are.

"I do occasionally have a go at sprinting but my forte definitely is the longer two- hour 30km races, and that's where I'm best," said Russell.

However, he has decided to try some sprinting later in the year.

"We'll see how that goes, maybe LA 2028, who knows, maybe I'll be able to break into the sprint team and qualify for the Olympics," he said.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.