Champion canoeist cooking up a storm – Mallory Franklin OLY

Windsor-based Mallory Franklin is a British slalom canoeist who has a stack of international wins to her name, including taking silver at the Tokyo Olympic Games in 2020.

But the elite athlete has revealed her secret passion when not on the water – backing cakes and cookies which she shares with her family, friends and fellow sportspeople.

“I’ve always liked to bake but over the last five years it’s become something that I’ve just started to do more of and which I really enjoy,” said Mallory.

“I find it a really good way to get into a different headspace when I’ve been training or competing and they seem to go down very well – although I try not to eat to many of them myself!”

When not creating cupcakes, brownies and blondies – which are all particular favourites – Mallory is concentrating on her next round of competitions, which includes heading to the European Games in Krakow next month (June).

Always sporty, Mallory was just five years old when she first started canoeing, joining a local club and discovered her passion for the sport.

Since 2009 she has competed internationally, in both kayak and Canadian canoe classes, as well as the Extreme Canoe discipline.

She has taken the gold seven times in the European Championships and five times in the World Championships, along with numerous other silver and bronze medals over the years.

In 2022 she was named world champion in the Extreme K1, one of canoeing’s biggest challenges which combines all the white water disciplines.

Mallory’s determination and dedication will see her compete across the summer months in tournaments in Poland, Spain and Czechoslovakia.

“Canoeing is really big in Europe and particularly in the Eastern European countries where people have taken part for years,” she said.

“That’s why there’s a lot of competitions in these countries. In Slovakia it’s the national sport so there are a lot of people very dedicated to it.

“It’s a fantastic sport to be part of and one which I’ve loved to be involved with since I was tiny.”