Canoeing: Beijing hero David Florence gets green light for London

Florence will compete in the one-man canoe category again as well as in the two-man canoe (C2) with Richard Hounslow.

Hounslow will also compete in the single kayak event but his inclusion in that event means there is no place for Scot Campbell Walsh, who won silver in Athens eight years ago.

As both Florence and Hounslow compete in singles events, there is an extra spot in the C2 event, which has been awarded to Aberdeen-born Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott. Lizzie Neave, 25, took the only women’s place in the single kayak event after winning all three of her selection races earlier this month.

The selection announcement came at the Lee Valley White Water Centre, where the Olympics slalom event will be held.

In the two-man canoe event, the main competition will be the Slovakian Hochschorner twins, who have won gold at the last three Olympic Games.

Hounslow, 30, said he expected home advantage to count, although he admitted the atmosphere was going to be “pretty intense”. He said: “To be selected is even sweeter because I missed out in Beijing, so to have put the effort in over the last four years and for it to have paid off is a dream come true. Initially, when I knew I was selected, I was absolutely delighted, hugs and things all round, but now we are back into training.

“We now have to prepare ourselves mentally and physically so there is still a lot more work to do and hopefully I can make a few fine adjustments here and there and bring home a medal.”

Florence said trust between him and Hounslow in the two-man event was crucial to success. He almost retired after the Beijing Olympics but the lure of competing in London proved too great.

Florence said: “I think what holds us together the most is that we want to achieve the same thing ultimately. We may not agree day-to-day on the best way to do things but we have never had a falling out which is pretty important for a C2 crew.

“It’s a difficult sport to get on in because you can make major mistakes every day in training. That’s the nature of canoe slalom and it is very easy to blame the other man but at the end of the day we both want the same thing.”

Neave, who at 25 is the youngest member of the squad, described the selection process as “tough” after she had to see off competition from Scot Fiona Pennie. Neave said she was looking forward to competing at the Lee Valley course, near Broxbourne, where the team has been based for the past 18 months.