About Me
Name: Lucy Wainwright
Date of Birth: 05/05/1978
Living: Nottingham
Marital Status: Married
Education: BSc Sports Science and Physical Education, MSc Exercise Physiology (Loughborough University), International Olympic Committee Diploma in Sports Nutrition.
Started Paddling: 1988
Coach: Brendan Purcell
Club: Nottingham Kayak Club
Personal Best: 1.50
Best Results: 7th place Beijing Olympic Games (2008), European Champion 200m (2008), 6th place in 500m European Championships (2008), 7th place at Athens Olympic Games (2004).
I started paddling at Fladbury Canoe club when I was ten years old as my sister wanted to try so went across and it started out as a family activity. I raced my first international regatta as under-12 at Sobeka (Belgium) which was an annual club trip and I have been racing at internationals ever since.
I completed my degree at Loughborough University and then moved to Nottingham and have been based there ever since, returning to Loughborough University to complete a Masters. I have been working as a part time lecturer in Sports Science and am currently completing an IOC diploma in Sports Nutrition.
I have represented Great Britain as part of the senior flatwater canoe and kayak team since 2001, racing at six World Championships and eight European Championships. I competed as part of Team GB at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 where I finished 7th in the final of the singles 500m event. In domestic regattas I have been unbeaten in singles events in 2007 and 2008.
At the European Championships in Milan I qualified a place to compete at the Beijing Olympic Games. I had a great championships qualifying directly from the heat to the final and then finishing 6th in the final of the singles 500m event. I then went on to win the singles 200m event, earning the prestige of winning the first ever British women’s gold medal at a European Championship.