A YOUNG kayaking expert is going for gold this year.

Eleanor Rutter, one of the UK's rising starts in this challenging sport, is looking forward to the busy competitive season thanks to support from Ripon-based Econ Engineering.

Eleanor, who has lived in Ripon for the past eight years and attends Ripon Grammar School, enjoyed a successful 2002, coming third in the pre-world championships in Austria and fourth in the European championships.

She has only been paddling for two years, and practises regularly at Teesside hite ater course and the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.

Her next big challenge is to try and win a place in the senior Great Britain team for the world championships in May.

"In addition to the world championships, I shall also be attending the team trials for the 2004 pre-world championships in Australia. If I am selected, I shall undergo some intensive training in both California and Australia.

"I am very grateful to Econ for their generous support and will be trying by best to win a medal at the world championships."

Andrew Lupton, sales director at Econ, which is the UK's leading manufacturer of highway maintenance equipment said: "Eleanor has done exceptionally well to have reached the top levels of this sport in such a short time.

"I am delighted we have been able to help her and wish her the best of luck in 2003."