A 16-year-old paddler from the Richmond Canoe Club has made history after becoming the first British junior to win a European Championship medal in a high-kneeling canoe marathon event.

Isabella Keane secured bronze in the Junior Women's C1 Short Course at the 2026 Canoe Marathon European Championships, held in Pitești, marking a landmark achievement for British women's canoeing.

Her medal helped Great Britain to an impressive seven-medal tally at the championships, with the team finishing fifth on the overall medal table.

Keane's result is particularly significant as it came in the inaugural Junior Women's C1 Short Course event at European level. It also marks the first time a British junior woman has reached the podium in a high-kneeling canoe discipline at a major international canoe marathon competition.

Unlike kayak racing, canoe events require athletes to paddle from a kneeling position using a single-bladed paddle, a discipline that demands exceptional balance, strength and technical precision.

The canoe marathon short course covers 3.6km and includes fast-paced portages, where athletes must exit the water, carry their boats and remount as quickly as possible.

Despite it being her first international short-course race, Keane stayed in medal contention throughout, overcoming early race collisions and executing a confident 200-metre portage before producing a strong finishing surge to secure bronze. In the closing stages she was even in contention for silver.

Reflecting on her breakthrough performance, Keane said: "The race was good. It was a bit unexpected in the last 500 being able to pull through that way but I'm really happy because I managed to not make any mistakes.

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"I got that burst of motivation and I thought I could really do this. This was my first time racing the short course so I wasn't sure how I was going to do so I thought just empty the tank, push my hardest.

"This is the first year they are running Junior C1 short course for the women so it's really exciting and it feels like a new age of canoeing has come for women."

Following her historic European success, Keane will now turn her attention to the Junior Sprint World Championships in Canada, where she will continue her international season.

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