By Will Castle

Olympic silver medallist Mallory Franklin is gearing up to not just survive but thrive in front of the crowds as she prepares herself for the buzz of Paris 2024.

The Windsor star was announced as one of four canoe slalom athletes set to represent Team GB next summer, alongside Joe Clarke, Kimberley Woods, and Adam Burgess.

Hailed as Great Britain's most successful ever female canoeist, Franklin already boasts Olympic pedigree, having claimed slalom silver in the first ever Olympic Women's C1 race at Tokyo 2020.

Paris poses a whole new experience for the 29-year-old, however, with fans, friends, and family back in the mix after COVID-19 closed the doors on them three years prior.

For Franklin, it will all be about adapting to the increased attention, and the added pressure that comes with it.

“Paris is likely to be a very different environment to one that I've ever been in,” she said.

“In Tokyo there were obviously no crowds, and it was almost a lot easier for me as a person to deliver in that environment because I'm not very good when people are watching me.

“With Tokyo, when I was sat on the start line and realised the camera was in my face – and the number of people that were [watching] on the other side of that – it’s kind of indirectly put that pressure on me.

“Loads of these people care about what I'm going to do for the next two minutes, but it actually affects none of their lives except me – realistically they're going to care for two minutes, maybe after I'm finished, and that's about it.

“So, I think that's going to be a whole new experience for me to have to deal with and work through.

“It’s that element of being able to deliver no matter what's going on and just put down the best performance.”

Franklin was catching rays in the Algarve when she discovered she’d be making the trip to Paris, enjoying a well-earned holiday with her husband.

And while her place in the squad didn’t come as much of a shock, she is more than relieved to finally have the news out in the open after weeks of keeping it under wraps.

“I came into the year in a really strong position in all my categories and continued to do well, which meant that when the team was being announced, I kind of suspected what was going to happen,” Franklin added.

“After waiting for the announcement, just to have that little bit of relief of ‘okay, I know what's going on’, it was really cool.

“I don't trust much of my family to keep their mouths shut, so I didn't really tell them. I told my mum, but that was about it.

“So, I kind of had to wait until now to really feel like I could embrace it, enjoy it and really spread it.”

Franklin will go into the Olympics off the back of a medal-laden 2023, picking up a team silver and an individual bronze at the European Games in Poland.

She will be supported by Aldi, the home of fresh affordable eating, which as the Official Supermarket Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB fuels athletes to eat like champions.

As she prepares to compete in the discipline of kayak cross, making its Olympic debut in Paris, she is well aware of the scope for a history-making performance on the big stage – with potential to become to event’s first-ever gold medallist.

“It is really cool to have the chance to be the first person that's in that list, to medal or really just to be doing it,” Franklin said.

However, on top of the prospective accolades, the extra event also provides greater opportunities for both Franklin and her teammates to compete at the Olympics.

She added: “Pre-Tokyo, there was only ever one girl for each nation that went.

“We've now got two girls, and there's a bit more freedom in that too.

“Me and Kim [Woods] are both able to go to a Games and double up, which I think both of us wanted to do, but it was always unlikely because we both exist, and we caused each other problems.

“And for someone like Joe [Clarke] as well, to be able to go to the games and double up. The possibilities that allow for him are pretty mega.”

Aldi is the home of fresh affordable eating, proud partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB fuelling athletes through to Paris 2024