Canoeing-Paddler Florence accepts Rio mission to win double gold

By Martyn Herman LONDON, July 25 (Reuters) - British canoe slalomist David Florence never got to blast off into space but the 33-year-old Scot will try to go where no Olympic paddler has gone before by winning the C1 and C2 gold medals at the Rio Games. Had things gone to plan for the mathematics and physics graduate it could have been Florence rather than Tim Peake who became the first Briton to walk in space this year. Instead he stayed on terra firma, or to be more precise, on white water, establishing himself as one of the world's top paddlers. In Brazil he will try to become the first canoeist to win the C1 and C2 golds at the same Olympics. "I think if I'd been accepted (for the European Space Agency) I probably would have retired from canoeing," the three-times world champion said at the Lea Valley whitewater centre where he and Richard Hounslow took C2 silver in 2012. "(Peake) was obviously far, far better qualified for it than me. A former test pilot in the military. Fair enough really." With a brain adept at problem solving and an Olympic gold still missing from his CV, you might expect him to be poring over performance data in between sessions in the gym. That is not his style, though. His preparation for his Rio double bid takes place exclusively in amongst the spray and foam of the rapids at Britain's state-of-the-art performance centre, a far cry from the shopping trolley-choked canal of Edinburgh he once paddled. "It's nothing to do with not enjoying (the gym)," said Florence, who in 2013 became the first man in 60 years to win C1 and C2 (with partner Richard Hounslow) golds at a world championships. "If anything, in the winter I wish I could be in the warmth of the gym rather freezing and wet. "I spend all my time now on the white water channel where you can develop your strength and fitness and learn specific skills at the same time." FINE MARGINS Florence knows only too well the fine margins of his sport, where paddlers have to weave between gates, battling against the current and the clock. In London he was a medal favourite in C1 but did not even make the final. So would he be applying his mathematical brain to the task awaiting him in Rio? "I don't apply much science to it," he said. "There is not much point when every gate is different and the water changes all the time, it's more about using your subjective experience." The British team will be one of the best prepared in Rio having been to the venue more than any other squad. Which is why Florence thinks the double is on. "I've done it at the world championships and the World Cup before so obviously I'm capable of it," he said. "The worlds is actually a tougher field so if I can make the most of all the training we've had in Rio it's a great opportunity and I know I'm in with a great chance." While the father of two will be all alone in the C1 he will have Hounslow at his back in the C2. They won the Rio test event against a high-quality field and have an almost telepathic understanding. "A big part of C2 is really getting to know how each of you paddle and be able to react accordingly, keeping each other in sync and get your timing together," Florence said. Florence has not ruled out going on to Tokyo in 2020, but knows Rio could be his last chance to win Olympic gold. In Beijing he took the silver in the C1 and in London he again had to settle for silver in a thrilling C2 final as he and Hounslow, the last crew down, failed to overtake compatriots Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott by 0.37 seconds. "In London initially there was disappointment to come so close to an Olympic gold," Florence said. "With a bit of time for reflection I'm really pleased with both those Olympic medals. Gold? Yes, of course I'd love to win gold." And if it mission accomplished, would his eyes turn to the stars again? "I'm not sure about that. Well have to see," he said. "I'm not ruling it out but I think that was the first time they had ever opened up applications, so I'm not sitting waiting." (Editing by Peter Rutherford)