Deborah Kerr missed out on a medal at Tokyo 2020, but what a performance from the Motherwell girl to reach the 200m sprint kayak singles final on her Olympics debut.
With four spots available from the semi-final, the 23-year-old qualified in second place on Tuesday morning.
However, after a fantastic effort, she finished eighth in the ‘A’ final, as the big favourite, Lisa Carrington from New Zealand, took a third successive gold medal in the event.
Kerr qualified for the final with an impressive performance in the semi-final at the Sea Forest Waterway, but couldn’t quite keep up to the pace and finished eighth overall in the nine-woman field.
Kerr, who won bronze in the World Cup in May, said: “I am delighted with reaching the final in my first Olympic Games.
“It was always going to be a tough final to get into, so I am really proud to have made it.
“This year the 200 has been my strongest event, but I definitely back myself for the 500 as well.
“It’s just amazing. It’s not where I imagined to be a couple of years ago.”
The former Dalziel High pupil narrowly missed out on automatic qualification for the semi-finals, but got through via a third quarter-final, beating compatriot and best friend Emily Lewis.
Kerr and Lewis will compete in the K1 500m event, with the heats starting on Wednesday at 2.40am BST.
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