Falkirk slalom canoeist Sophie Ogilvie is modelling herself on teammate Mallory Franklin in her bid for similar Olympic success.

The 22-year-old paddler was recently selected for her third senior international team and has used Tokyo Olympic silver medallist Franklin as a template on how to be the best.

Training at Lee Valley White Water Centre in Hertfordshire has given Ogilvie every opportunity to learn from a number of experienced and decorated athletes - a golden chance she cherishes.

"You get to train with some of the best paddlers in the world, not just in Britain,” said Ogilvie.

"You've got Mallory, Kim Woods and the guys. It's really cool and you get to work with each other and be part of a team. 

"That's something not everyone gets, to have amazing athletes to watch train, and that helps me push on and be more like them, to see what they're doing that makes them so good."

Ogilvie first found international success in 2018 with K1 team brone at the Junior and under-23 World Championships.

Her debut senior season came in 2019 and brought European gold in the C1 team event, alongside Franklin and Woods, and they took silver in 2021.

For Ogilvie working with Franklin day in, day out is as inspirational as it sounds and the Scot has certainly been taking notes. 

She said: "I look at Mallory, how she paddles and how good she is at reacting on the water. 

"She uses her strengths. She's slightly taller and got long levers, she's an amazing athlete to look up to and see how she's dynamic on the water. 

"I try to use her strengths and my strengths and try to paddle like her, but also have my own style as well."

Ogilvie is one of a long lineage of Scots to have led the way in British Canoeing. Aberdeen’s David Florence is Britain’s most decorated Olympic slalom canoeist.

Ogilvie is joined on the 2022 team by Midlothian’s Bradley Forbes-Cryans and Falkirk’s Peter Linksted.

Moving down south to be based at Lee Valley, the C1 athlete is happy in the knowledge that there will always be a little bit of Scotland with her.

She said: "It's nice to have a few Scots on the team and have a home from home. 

"It's something I miss a lot about being back at home, that culture of being on your home turf.

"It's good to come together as a team of British and have your fellow Scots on the team."

British Canoeing is the National Governing Body for paddlesports in the UK. If you’ve been inspired by Bradley and want to try paddling, visit the Go Paddling website https://gopaddling.info