The Richmond Canoe Club were jubilant after one of their own returned from the World Sprint Canoe Championships with two medals.

Lizzie Broughton, 30, won the first major title of her career with K1 5,000m gold on the final day in Portugal. She surged clear after a tense battle with Maryna Litvinchuk to win by more than ten seconds.

Broughton, who specialises in marathon events, also won K1 1,000m silver.

She has grown up in Twickenham and has canoed and kayaked from a young age. She still lives in the area and on her return from Portugal, the club threw her a welcome home party.

Nicole Prendeville, a member of the club, helped organise the surprise, she said: "We wanted to celebrate her success on the world stage. We organised an arch which she walked through on her return and threw her a party after she finished training. She is currently training for a marathon but we wanted to show her how proud we are of her.

"Tom Sharpe, the commodore of the club, really help organise an amazing evening. He got the British Canoeing to also congratulate her, via video link. Tom also made a speech on the evening. The club is very proud of her achievements, is has been a role model in the club, not just for juniors but adults too.

"She is paving the way for others to pursue dreams of canoeing at a high level."

Lizzie, who works full-time as an insight manager, has won silver in the K1 marathon category in Oklahoma in 2014. She has also won gold at the European Championships in 2013, silver at the Europeans K1 marathon championships in 2014 and 2015. 

In 2015, she set the K2 mixed record with Keith Moule at the non-stop endurance race, from Devizes to Westminister.

Next week (September 6-9 2018), Broughton will be back in Portugal to compete in the 26K marathon.