KAYAKER Emily Lewis has been fast-tracked as a future British Olympian after being handpicked to join the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative.
The Worcester Canoe Club 16-year-old, one of only 270 youngsters selected from across the UK, will receive a cash injection of £1,000 to help with the cost of training and competing.
Lewis, of Malvern, attended the Cardiff launch at the Welsh Institute of Sport, where she received masterclasses with former British Olympians Iwan Thomas, Leon Taylor and Paralympic star Ellie Simmonds on sports psychology and media training.
With the European Junior Canoe Sprint Championships in Moscow one of the highlights of the summer for Lewis, the former Chase Technology College pupil admitted her new-found support could not be better timed.
“I have been to a few international regattas but this year I am hoping to be selected for the European Junior Championships,” said Lewis.
“But I don’t just want to qualify for them — I really want to be in a final.
“I haven’t been to anything like that before because I have only just started competing seriously but hopefully it isn’t completely out of the question.
“I went from girls’ ‘D’ races to ‘A’ races in a year so that was quite a big jump and it really surprised me.
“I remember everyone talking about me because they didn’t know who I was and I was beating them.
“I think I was in the right growing time and I just progressed well.”
Now in its third year, the Lloyds TSB Local Heroes initiative, which is run in partnership with SportsAid, is designed to ensure more talent reaches the top and to ease the financial burden on parents.
Thomas, who won Olympic 4x400m silver at the Atlanta Games in 1996, believes Lewis’ inclusion on the scheme will play a major role in her fulfilling her potential in the sport. “The funding from Lloyds TSB will be a great boost for athletes like Emily and it will hopefully help them achieve their true potential,” said Thomas.
“It will take the financial pressure off the athlete and their parents and allow them to concentrate on their sport. The recognition is also important for young athletes because there are so many sportsmen and women who are not supported and they lose their way.
“So the grant and the sponsorship are far more important than just the financial benefits because it gives athletes the belief that they are good enough to reach the top.”
Lloyds TSB Local Heroes is an initiative in partnership with SportsAid providing support and funding to over 270 of Britain’s most talented developing athletes on their journey to London 2012 and beyond.
To find out more, visit lloydstsb.com/localheroes 
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