(2015 ☆ ARCHIVED) Emma Witherford - Great Britain

EMMA WITHERFORD (Great Britain) - Nominee for 'Sports Junior of the Year.'

Website: http://emmawitherford.blogspot.co.uk/

• Born: 1997, Discipline: Canoe Freestyle, Represents: Great Britain
• 2015: 10th Junior World Freestyle Championships, 1st GB League.
• 2014: 4th ECA European Freestyle Championships, 3rd ICF World Cup Sort, 4th ICF World Cup Salt, 3rd ICF World Cup Millau

Emma Witherford’s dedication to the development of herself as a canoe freestyle athlete as well as the evolution of the sport in the United Kingdom is exceptional. The way she is able to support fellow athletes, coach younger people and inspire others to take up the sport shows maturity beyond her years.

Emma began paddling in a sprint kayak when she was 7 years old at her local canoe club. After a few years with some successes she changed clubs to WKCC and started to focus more on whitewater paddling. In 2012 she took part in her first freestyle competition and fell in love with the sport. In 2014 she made her international debut at the ICF World Cups in Millau, Salt and Spain, finishing 3rd overall.

At the recent freestyle World Championships at Garb in Canada Emma placed 10th in her category which is an outstanding result given her clubs size and limited history of competitive success. She demonstrates excellent skills and ability for someone of her age.

As well as being a fantastic paddler, she is always first to support and encourage friends in the sport. When knocked out of competitions, she supports others without bitterness or envy. Emma has set herself apart in the way she conducts herself. She shows that if you dedicate yourself to a cause then you will achieve.

Since rising to an international level Emma has become busier with training but to her credit she still makes the effort to get others into the sport and regularly visits the club to paddle as if she were still one of the club's juniors. She has also given a number of presentations to different groups about her journey, conducting herself in a professional and respectful manner.

Emma is currently working on several projects to eliminate the barriers that prevent many people from trying canoe freestyle. She hopes to be a major part of the force behind formulating and progressing the future of freestyle, focusing on the encouragement of grass roots, and the accessibility of sport, with the overall aim to increase participation and push standards of performance both recreationally and competitively.

Activities and achievements off the water:

• Emma achieves very highly in her schooling, receiving excellent results in her GCSE exams
• In the last two years she has volunteered more than 400 hours.

This is a 2015 archived nominee. Voting has closed.