Chris Bowers: Pace, power, paddle
Published
22 May 2024
Share
Remember the name Chris Bowers. The aspiring Olympian and scholar on the East London Sport High Performance Programme at the University of East London (UEL), featured on the latest episode of the East London Sport podcast.
Chris recently represented Team GB at the 2021 IFC World Junior and U23 Canoe Slalom Championships in Slovenia, bringing home a bronze medal.
On the podcast, he shares his journey taking up canoeing aged 10 'just to compete with his older brother', to becoming an international canoe slalom competitor. Chris also tells us about the importance of having the right support and environment, and that he was 'fortunate that 20 minutes down the road there was a canoe slalom club'.
Aged 16, Chris made the England National Talent Squad (ENTS), a programme designed to support young athletes in transitioning to senior international level. This was when he started to make a serious commitment to canoe slalom. Now 23, Chris describes his life as an athlete training up to six days a week, plus gives an insight into his diet and life away from the water, including making time for his studies.
Although just missing out on a place in the Team GB squad for the Tokyo Olympics, Chris shares how he learns from both his successes and failures, and is committed to using these experiences to propel himself to achieve his future goals. These future goals also include finishing his degree in accounting and finance at the University of East London.
Listen to Chris Bower on the East London Sport podcast
Listen to the interview with Chris and subscribe to the show on your favourite podcast network:
About the podcast
The East London Sport podcast gives you real insight into what it takes to make it as an elite sportsperson. You'll find tips from those on their journey to the top, as well as advice from high-performing athletes and leading academics in the fields of health, sport and bioscience.
Past guests include Jona Efoloko, who made the men's 4x100m squad for Team GB at the Tokyo Olympics.
Share
Communications team
Contact us for press and interview requests