Canoeist Clifton 'inspired' by Paralympics debut

Ed Clifton trains in Nottingham four days a week, year round

Para-canoeist Ed Clifton hopes a full four-year cycle of training and competition can turn him into a medal contender at the next Paralympics.

Clifton finished seventh for GB in the VL2 final in Paris last month after switching to the water from athletics field sports.

He lost the use of his legs after damaging his spine in a holiday fall from a balcony and only took up canoeing in 2021.

"It (Paris) was a mad experience, especially in the village; it's not like anything that I've been to before. Being around people of different disabilities, it's quite inspiring," he told BBC Essex.

"It'll be nice to have a cycle of a full four years now. It'll be a chance to get a bit more experience and I should get a bit faster.

"There are plenty more Paralympics ahead hopefully and fingers crossed, I've got to work towards it, but that's the plan."

Rather than a kayak, Clifton competes in a Va'a boat.

"It has got an outrigger on it and it's a single bladed boat, we only paddle on one side, so that is a little bit different," he said.

Clifton played rugby regularly before his accident and after spending six months at the Stoke Mandeville spinal injury unit, he was keen to find a new way of maintaining his sporting interest.

It led him to athletics and he was good enough to represent Great Britain in 2019 in F56 throwing events.

"I was doing javelin, discus and shot for a few years to a semi-decent standard, and then saw canoeing on the telly and thought I'd give it a go.

"There was another GB athlete [Stewart Clark] in Chelmsford that I met in a gym, and he invited me to come paddle with him in Chelmsford. He trained me, and it all kicked off from there really.

"It's a lot different to athletics and throwing. It gave me a bit more opportunity to be out and mix with different people, be out and about basically."

Slater also finished seventh in his first international para-canoeing event, the Poznan World Cup, in 2022 and was ninth at last year's World Championships.

He came through a qualifying event in Hungary to reach the Paralympics, but had to wait for his chance in Paris with the para-canoeing among the later events in the schedule.

"We weren't at the opening (ceremony). We didn't go into the village until a week later because our competition was on last. I tried not to watch too much (on TV) or get too excited.

"In the final, I wasn't really happy with my performance, but I couldn't be happier with getting there and having the experience of being at the Paralympics," he added.

"It makes you hungry to do it again."