Beth Latham’s exploits in the European Junior Canoe Slalom Championships at Banja Luka showed what a precision sport it is.

The 18-year-old from Cononley touched a gate in the final on the Bosnian course and the two-second time penalty (115.20sec, including the penalty) dropped her from a bronze-medal position into fifth place.

The former South Craven School pupil said: “Ninety per cent of my run I had talked about with my coach went to plan until I touched a gate at the bottom of the course.

“You do swear under your breath when that happens but you learn from talking to the seniors who just shrug it off and carry on.

“But overall I was happy with my run, having failed by 0.01 of a second to get into the final last year.

“Now I just intend to keep working hard and carry on improving.”

In temperatures of 40 degrees - “it isn’t so bad for a canoe slalomist because of the water” - the qualifying course was relatively easy, and Latham finished top of the 20 qualifiers in 107.70sec and had no time penalties.

“The idea wasn’t necessarily to finish top as I didn’t know how all the others would do but it was to set a fast time,” said Beth.

“The course for the semi-finals and finals was more technical and I made a bit of a mess of my semi-final.

“I was thinking too much about what was happening all the time instead of just going by instinct and I was only ninth at the bottom of the course.

“I was worried because I thought they hadn’t added on the four-second penalty for touching two gates but they had so I got into the final with a time of 120.05sec.”

Latham had a treat on her return to Great Britain. She was one of eight competitors chosen to take part in the Olympic demonstration event at Broxbourne.

“I hadn’t been able to train on the course, and it was a bit scary with all the seniors lining the banks watching,” confessed the teenager.

“I felt I was paddling like a loser at times but it was also a great honour. The eight of us were the next two in each of the four categories who hadn’t made the senior team.”

Latham, who will get her A-Level results on Thursday, August 18, will go to France soon after to compete in an event at Bourg St Maries.

She said: “I have competed there before but not for a long time.”