Bradley Forbes-Cryans ready for Olympic challenge in Tokyo

The 26-year-old, set to compete in the K1 slalom event, initially thought he would be pushed for preparation time when he was originally selected. A year’s delay due to Covid-19 put paid to that worry, but now he’s raring to go when the action finally gets under way at the end of this month. He said: “From the point I figured out that canoe slalom was in the Olympic Games, that was all I really wanted to do. “With my second canoe club, CR Cats Club, I think I’m the fifth Olympian to come from that club after the likes of Campbell Walsh and David Florence. “They’ve come away with Olympic medals, and I really hope I can emulate what they’ve done and come away with a really strong result.” His selection for Japan was confirmed back in October 2019 after he finished fourth in the sport’s world championships in Spain. “From there, I thought that the Olympics were going to roll round really quickly and almost felt I didn't have enough time to prepare,” he said. “Little did I know there would be a global pandemic, but the extra time to prepare hasn't been all that great because our training venue at the Lee Valley Water centre was closed for three or four months. “We couldn't get on the water, so I had a gym installed in my flat with the help of British Canoeing with the goal of getting as strong and physically fit as I possibly could in that period I wasn't able to get on the water. “I feel I did a really good job of that, and when I did get the opportunity to get back onto the water it was all focused on the canoeing and trying to lift that technical level again." Forbes-Cryans already has a world championship K1 team gold medal from Rio in 2018 and an individual silver from the under-23 world championships the same year. Now he’s setting his sights on adding an Olympic gong to his collection. He said: “I've had some fantastic results already this season. At the last world cup in Germany, I got a second place in qualification and third place in the semi-final, so now I’m looking to build on that performance and deliver that final run to the best of my ability.”