ETIENNE Stott is not giving up his dream of defending his Olympic canoe slalom C2 title in Rio, but has something to fall back on should he fail to make the Team GB squad in 2016.

The 34-year-old is studying for an Open University degree in psychology and said: "There are no guarantees in sport (in terms of making the Olympics).

"I'm very lucky to have done what I have and to have won the Olympics.

"But I see things I am interested in beyond canoeing which I find exciting and interesting.

"If canoeing does not work for me, I would be quite devastated and it would cause a massive sadness to me but I would have something to go into as I am studying to become a psychologist, something I find fascinating."

Stott says his own career, littered with the lows of serious injuries and the highs of Olympic gold, has fuelled this interest.

He said: "I'm interested in the underlying psychology that gives people the ability to do things that are greater than they feel they can.

"In my journey I have managed to do things I didn't think were possible.

"Understanding that and helping others would be an interesting way of living my life. It would be a project that would draw my passion and energy, like canoeing has over 20 years. This would be another thing for the next 20 years."