BRADFORD on Avon paddler Ed McKeever has his first meeting with the man most likely to stand between him and gold at this summer’s Olympic Games this weekend.

McKeever, tipped as a potential home gold medallist at London 2012, is in Zagreb with Great Britain’s sprint canoeing team for the European Championships.

It will be the final chance for paddlers to size each other up before the Olympic action gets under way at McKeever’s training base of Eton Dorney in on August 10-11.

McKeever, the 2010 world and European champion whose family home is in Farleigh Wick, will hope to continue his great start to the season having taken gold at the first two 2012 World Cups.

However Zagreb will be the 28-year-old’s first chance this year to line up against 2011 world champion, Piotr Siemionowski, from Poland, who edged the Wiltshire man into second spot at the World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, last summer.

McKeever had is Olympic place rubber-stamped by the British Olympic Association last week – a formality having all but confirmed his qualification with a series of victories – including two World Cup triumphs – earlier this season.

He joins a nine-strong British team including veteran Tim Brabants, the country's most decorated sprint canoeist who won men’s K1 1000m gold at the Beijing Games four years ago.

McKeever said: “It seems like just yesterday I was watching London being announced as the host city for 2012, but that was seven years ago.

“The next few weeks until my race are going to fly by and I am excited to be able to represent our country at the biggest sporting event the world has ever seen.

“I’m extremely proud to be selected to represent Great Britain at the Olympic Games and I can’t wait to get out there and smash things up on the water.’’