CROSSGATES paddler Rachel Syme has been selected to compete in European competition for Great Britain.

The talented Kirkcaldy Canoe Club member will travel to the Serbian capital, Belgrade, for the European Canoe Association (ECA) Canoe Sprint Juniors and Under-23 European Championship, which takes place from June 22-25.

Rachel, 20, was chosen for the GB squad following a series of crew boat trials and training camps at the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham over the last two months, which culminated in British success last weekend. During two days of action at the MacGregor Inter-Club Challenge and National and Open Under-23 Championship over the weekend of June 3-4, she took home the women’s under-23 K4 500 metres event alongside Tanisha Clayton (Holme Pierrepont), Lucy-Lee Smith (Norwich) and Emma Ricketts (Anker Valley).

The quartet will go for European glory in just over a fortnight.

Neil Chalmers, chair of Kirkcaldy Canoe Club, said: “This selection is a reflection of the hard work and commitment shown by Rachel in her training over the past nine years and is a great example of what can be achieved.”