Mallory Franklin should focus on one discipline, according to Richard Hounslow

SLOUGH OBSERVER – Windsor slalom canoeist Mallory Franklin needs to focus her energies on one discipline, according to retired two-time Olympic silver medallist Richard Hounslow.

Despite being just 22-years-old, Franklin has already achieved plenty in the sport, including winning back-to-back World silver medals in 2013 and 2014.

That came in the C1 event, involving a boat in which you kneel in and use a one-bladed paddle.

Franklin has also been known to compete in the K1 event – a one-seater kayak where you sit and use a paddle with blades at both ends – and helped Britain to team gold at the 2014 Under-23 Championships.

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Of those two events, only the K1 is currently an Olympic discipline for women, although discussions are currently taking place as to whether it should replace the men’s C2 at Tokyo 2020 to ensure better gender equality on the Olympic programme.

While there are no assurances that it will definitely make the programme at the next Olympics, Hounslow believes his former teammate has more of a chance of establishing herself as one of the world’s best if she concentrates on C1 competition.

“I would like to see Mallory focus just on the women’s C1. We’ve not got a huge amount of depth at the moment in the women’s K1 and C1,” he said.

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