Baillie and Stott collect Euro bronze in Nottingham

TIM Baillie and Etienne Stott captured C2 bronze at the European Championships in Nottingham and immediately set their sights on the World Championships in September.

ON THE PODIUM: Tim Baillie and Etienne Stott grab C2 bronze at the European Championships in Nottingham (British Canoe Union)

Baillie and Stott clocked 104.37 seconds in the final to move into second place with two more pairs to go, leaving the Brits with an anxious wait before finally being confirmed in third.

The duo suffered Olympic agony last summer and just missed out on qualification for Beijing - the first time Great Britain have not entered in the C2 category at the Olympics.

But Baille, 30, and 29-year-old Stott did not dwell on their disappointment and revealed their Beijing heartache was just the motivation they needed to reach the podium in Nottingham.  

"That's a bit of a dream come true really," said Stott. "We came here not really knowing what to expect because at the recent big championships we went there feeling good but the performances didn't follow.

"But we came here in good shape and we've transferred that form into the competition and ended up with a medal which is fantastic.

"We did have to wait around a bit but we were delighted to get a medal and it was thoroughly deserved.

"Having had a tough time of it last year we had a hard winter's training and it's paid off. That was the fundamental goal for this season so to have achieved it is superb."

Gold went to three-time Olympic champions Pavol and Peter Hochschorner, who came home 3.17 secs quicker than the Brits.

The Slovakian brothers will be hot favourites to reclaim their World Championships crown in September in Spain.

But Baillie insists he and Stott will also be in Spain, lying in wait should the Hochschorners slip up.

"It's a bit of a strange season for us because there are three World Cups and then quite a long break before the World Championships," he added.

"But our confidence is going to be very high for the rest of the season and we hopefully we can go to the worlds and perform to the best of our ability."

Olympic C1 silver medallist David Florence made a solid if unspectacular start to life in the C2 as he and Richard Hounslow finished ninth - 18.17 secs off the pace.

In the women's K1 final, GB's Lizzie Neave suffered a 50-second penalty for a missed gate, as Slovakia's Elena Kaliska was crowned champion.