Canoe slalom: Sheffield slalom sensation Solomon Maragh to compete in British Open

History-maker Solomon Maragh became the first-ever Jamaican to represent his country in the thrilling watersport when he competed in the International Canoe Federation junior and U23 canoe slalom world championships in July, aged just 16.

The aim of canoe slalom is to run a rapid river course marked by ‘gates’ – two poles suspended over the water - fast and without touching them.

Millhouses-based Solomon made the boating lake at his local park his training base during lockdown last year.

He was introduced to the sport by his parents, Julie and Dean, and qualifies to represent Jamaica through his grandmother, Rose, a member of the Windrush generation who moved to Sheffield in 1962.

Since returning from the world championships in Slovenia, the engineering apprentice has been training at the site of the 2012 Olympics in London – home of Team GB slalom – in preparation for both the Junior and Senior World Championships in 2022 in Italy and Germany respectively and the 2023 World Championships in England’s capital.

“We have spent a lot of weekends down there and I do sessions to get familiar with the water features and try to guess where the gates will be”, he said.

“There have been a couple of exclusive slalom sessions now with gates out that I have been able to train on. The gates are set by former Olympians and coaches who know their stuff so it’s as close to the real thing as it can be”.

The British Open takes place on October 30 and 31.