FRANKLIN Mallory

General
OLYMPIC GENDER EQUALITY
After watching the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on television [as women's C1 was not on the Olympic programme] she has welcomed the addition of the women's C1 event for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. "As a sport it shows we are pushing at the forefront of gender parity - it's good to see two girls and two boys on the [slalom] team and that's how it should be." (teamgb.com, 30 Jul 2019, teamgb.com, 11 Oct 2019)

QUIET PERSONALITY
She describes herself as shy and quiet, and is nervous about the media attention that awaits her at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. As a result she has undergone media training to prepare and gain confidence. "The thought terrifies me, all the attention [in Tokyo]. I'm very much a secluded person. I like my own bubble. It's nice to be recognised. But slalom, and canoeing in general, doesn't get much media attention. We compete at the top level but spend a lot of time hidden. That shifts for the Olympics. Suddenly you become a focus. You have this whole external pressure that isn't normally there. I'm confident on the water but probably a bit too shy off it. I'm getting more used to the attention but it always seems surreal, sometimes the thought of standing there as Olympic champion terrifies me, being the focus of all the attention." (teamgb.com, 11 Oct 2019; thesun.co.uk, 29 Jul 2019)

RIVALRIES
She shares a rivalry with Australian paddler Jessica Fox, who she describes as a 'bugbear', meaning a continued source of concern. She has managed to beat Fox on occasion, including at the 2019 World Cup event in Lee Valley, England. "Jess is a bit of a bugbear! She's very good at canoeing but she isn't unattainable. [Competing against her in Tokyo] will be tough, of course. She has more of a pedigree than I have. But so much within the sport can change. It's so cut-throat. It can change in a second." She also describes her relationship with fellow British paddler Kimberly Woods as difficult at times because the two compete against one another. "We compete against each other and that's created some friction and it's tough to keep pushing a happy and healthy relationship when there's so much at stake and you are both chasing the same thing. Now we've both been selected [for the 2020 Olympic Games] we can compete together rather than against each other and it will be great to have her there for support." (teamgb.com, 11 Oct 2019, 30 Jul 2019; thesun.co.uk, 29 Jul 2019)

NAMESAKE
She was named Mallory by her parents, both retired data analysts for British Airways, after the Enid Blyton children's novels Malory Towers. (thesun.co.uk, 29 Jul 2019)

At the 2019 World Championships in La Seu d'Urgell, Spain, her gold medal in the K1 women's team event took her world championship gold medal tally to four, which was the most world championship gold medals for a female British canoe slalom paddler. (SportsDeskOnline, 20 Jan 2020)