FLADBURY Paddle Club’s Jonathan Jones competed at the Canoe Sprint World Cup in Portugal.

Jones, coached by former Olympic competitor Andy Train, was ninth for Great Britain in the C1 senior men’s 500 metres ‘A’ final after finishing third in the semis.

He was fifth in the C1 1,000m semi-finals and 14th overall in Montemor-o-Velho. Jones previously raced at the 2013 Olympic Hopes regatta.

He said: “The only thing I was thinking was just to beat someone and not come ninth in my first race.

“It was quite surprising to make the ‘A’ final and, having only seen the guys on television, it was pretty incredible to line up against them.

“Even changing in the same boat shed as Attila Vajda (former world champion) was quite an experience.

“It was huge for my confidence because I came through some pretty tough heats and got a personal best in the 1,000m and the 500m semis.

“Having mostly raced at Nottingham, it was really good to race on a flat course and get some PBs.”