Stand-up paddleboarder becomes first person to represent Northern Ireland at championships

• by Eden Wilson

A teenager from Bangor has become the first ever person to represent Northern Ireland at the World Paddle Boarding Championships.

Molly McKibben, 17, took up the sport during the first lockdown in 2020.

Two years later, she's competing against the best in the world at the International Canoe Federation World Championships.

Molly has used the Bangor coastline for training in the lead up to the championships in Poland this week.

"Wind is a big factor but just get low and push hard. We practice for this sort of thing so you have to give it your all," Molly told UTV.

She continued: "It's tough going. By the time you get to the last 1k of 12k, it's pretty tiring but we'll see how it goes."

Molly hopes her journey from amateur to world competitor will encourage others at home to get involved in stand-up paddleboarding.

"It is physically demanding but that's what I love about it, that it did push me and it's something new to try."