Teenage kayak star Peter Bannister sets sights on future success after playing part in London 2012
After enjoying all the delights that London 2012 had
to offer, Sutton Valence canoeist Peter Bannister cannot wait to
try and emulate the feats of some of his heroes.
The 18-year-old, who carried the
Olympic Torch through Harrietsham on July 19, saw his K4 kayak team
just fail to make the event final at the Junior European
Championships in Portugal in July.
"This year has been pretty good – I
reached my main goal of getting to the Junior European
Championships in Portugal this July," said the Sutton Valence
School pupil, who benefits from being a member of the Lloyds TSB
Local Heroes programme.
"It would have been nice to have got
into the A final in the K4 4,000m but our heat wasn’t great and we
missed the A final by one second.
"Our heads were definitely down after
that but coming seventh in the B final wasn’t bad."
Bannister, who first got into canoeing
through his father Michael at the age of 12, said meeting some
of Britain’s canoeing medallists has been a great motivator to spur
him on next season.
"It was brilliant to see Jon Schofield
and Liam Heath win bronze this summer – they came along to my club
in September and I got to chat to them," added Bannister.
"I have just finished my last year of
juniors and I have now got my eye on the U23 European Championships
in Poland in June and the U23 World Championships taking place in
Canada in August."
Lloyds TSB Local Heroes, in partnership with
SportsAid, provides support and funding to 346 of Britain’s most
talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and
beyond. Since 2008, the programme has supported 1,000 athletes.
Follow future stars at
facebook.com/lloydstsblocalheroes
21/12/12
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