KAYAK king Ed McKeever is hoping his qualification quest for next year’s Olympic Games is on track after his World Cup medal in Denmark last weekend.

The 31-year-old, who was K1 200m champion at London 2012, clinched a bronze in his second World Cup event of the season in Copenhagen on Sunday as he builds towards August’s World Championships in Milan, where automatic spots at Rio 2016 will be on the line.

Before that, McKeeever will tussle with the inaugural multi-sport European Games in Baku, Azerbaijan, from June 14-16, where he will travel as one of Great Britain’s senior athletes.

“I missed all of the World Cups with injury last year so it was good to get that bronze,” said McKeever, who flies to Azerbaijan next Wednesday.

“It was the same top three as there was at last year’s worlds (McKeever, Canada’s Mark de Jonge and Sweden’s Petter Menning) and a bronze in a race with all the top guys is better than finish top of a field with no-one in it.

“I’ve never been to Azerbaijan before and it should be good to do a multi-sport event in another country – I’ve only competed in an Olympics in this country so it would be good preparation for the Olympics next year.

“The main focus for me is the World Championships. The top eight there qualify automatically for Rio, so that’s pretty important. It would be great to do it the first time, rather than have to try at the Europeans next year.”

Fellow Bradford on Avon paddler Hannah Brown also returned from Copenhagen with a smile on her face after she made a senior World Cup A final for the first time.

The 25-year-old clinched her best-ever flatwater result finishing seventh in the women’s K1 200m final with a personal best 43.464 seconds.

“It’s definitely my best result. I was against the best in the world and I raced a good race up until the final third, so now I know what I need to work on,” said Berkshire-based Brown.

“I had quite a bad virus recently, so I had to have a bit of a fitness test for Copenhagen but I’m glad that I made it.

“That meant I missed the trials for the European Games but that the good thing is that I can now concentrate on training for the trials for the World Championships in Milan - they’re on July 1-2 in Nottingham.”