Nikita Setchell made her breakthrough in 2018 when she memorably won the European junior K1 title in Bratislava.
Initially selected as a reserve, Setchell first qualified for the final in the tenth and final spot before having to stop her medal run early because of a technical error with a gate. Setchell was awarded a re-run and would impressively win gold by almost three seconds.
Setchell has made a name for herself ever since, especially in the new Olympic kayak cross event, winning successive gold medals at the World Under-23 Championships in 2021 and 2022.
She made her senior World Championship debut in kayak in Germany in 2022 and placed ninth on home waters at Lee Valley in 2023.
For those 2023 World Championships, Setchell was one of two who helped officially design the medals for the event.