PENALTY heartache struck again for a Prudhoe kayaker who was denied a European gold medal.

Similarly to when he competed in the World championships last May, his Great Britain K1 men’s team recorded the fastest time in the Junior European Canoe Slalom Championships.

And likewise to when he left with bronze from the worlds in Australia, they were relegated to third spot as a result of penalties accrued - this time for hitting just one gate on their way down.

While over the moon to bring home a medal, there was disappointment from the team of Zac, Christopher Bowers (17) and James Cooper (18) who are ruing the slightest of mistakes.

There were similar frustrations in the individual races too as he was well placed to medal until getting his bow stuck in the eddy line and almost spinning.

As a result of the four second delay, he was relegated down to 12th in the standings.

Zac, of Orchard View, said: “Provisionally, the team was in first after our run but there are a lot of protests from other teams and we picked up a penalty which knocked us down to third.

“After more protests, we faced an anxious wait but then found out we had claimed bronze!

“I am really happy with the bronze to go with that from the world championships, but the gold would have been nice if we never had that one penalty for hitting gate nine of 19.

“But that‘s the name of the game sometimes and it is about building on and going down clearer next time.“

The frustration added to that already felt when an error in the final saw him slip out of the medal positions in the individual runs.

He took a liking to the early section of the course in both the heats and semi-finals, and that trend continued as he qualified for the final.

Again flying down the early parts, he led by a second-and-a-half until he came a cropper at gate 15 which put him behind the rest of the pack. Missing out on an individual medal was hard to take, but Zac has vowed to bounce back.

He said: ”I haven‘t had a good European campaign in the past few years and the fact that I could have won a medal if not for that slight mistake was quite frustrating.

“I was really happy with how well it was going and I knew I was in with a chance until that mistake on gate 15 which ultimately cost me a medal.

“But it is all a learning curve and hopefully I will come back stronger next year having worked on my weaknesses.”

Next season, Zac completes his junior involvement before stepping up to the U23 age category.

And he wants to go out with a bang, aiming for big performances at the World Championships, in Poland, and the Euros, in Slovenia.

He said: “I hope to medal in both in my final year as a junior, and I should have a good chance if I put the runs down.

”From there, I hope to get in the U23 team in my first year but I know that the older you get the harder it gets to get in.”

To help with Zac‘s fledgling sports career, he has received financial support from UK Sport while Active Northumberland continues to provide free use of the gym to aid his physical development.

He thanked both organisations for providing vital support.

david.coulter@hexham-courant.co.uk