After being eliminated early at the Beijing 2008 Olympics, sprint canoeist Jessica Walker has emerged as one of the sport’s most promising talents. Here are her vital statistics.
Age: 22
Born: Brighton, England
Sport: Sprint canoeist
In 2008, aged 18, Jessica became the youngest female flatwater racing canoeist to be selected for an Olympics.
As the youngest woman in the British Olympic canoe squad by a decade in 2008, Jessica felt she “didn’t belong even though I knew I deserved to be there”.
Her first Olympic bid ended prematurely when she was eliminated in the heats of the K2 500m event, to Mark Battersby of Turkmenistan.
Jessica made her name in the sport by winning gold and silver medals at the Junior and Under-23 European Championships and bronze at the 2010 World Cup.
She started paddling aged ten years old with a family friend. Five years later she was at the youth Olympics.
Jessica had an operation last winter for a rare injury called Compartment Syndrome, where the sheath around the muscle is too tight. She described the condition as feeling like the muscles are going to burst out of the leg. “It is painful and restricts your power output so not good for racing well.”
She describes herself as a “chatty, crazy and persistent” person, who likes to ski in her spare time.
At London 2012 she is competing with Rachel Cawthorn, Angela Hannah and Louisa Sawers in the K4 500m at Eton Dorney.
Jessica says that she “thrives” under pressure and finds it “strange” to compete when there are no expectations.
Her ambition for 2012 is to beat the world fastest time in the K1,200m and compete in the K4 500m.
