Jonnie Schofield has confirmed his place among the elite of British wild water racing and now he is looking to do it at world level.

For the 18-year-old from Clitheroe underlined his domination of the sprint category by winning national honours at senior, under 23s and under 18s last year.

He is now hoping to make a big impact in the World Championships which will be held in Germany in May -- his first as a senior competitor. Schofield's progress in the longer classic race is also reason for the former Clitheroe Grammar School pupil to be in confident mood.

For in the first race of 2004, Schofield finished second in the classic race behind Pete Keron from Kendall at Grandtully, near Pitlochry in Scotland. He also won the sprint race to maintain his sprint ranking. The event brought together the country's elite racers in preparation for the world championships which will take place in the Bavarian Alps.

Jonnie's dad, Peter, believes his son's training in New Zealand with the Czech wild water racing team has been the ideal preparation for the world championships.

Speaking after his success in Scotland, Peter said: "Jonnie's winter training has paid dividends. It is going to be a very competitive season but Jonnie is challenging for the top UK classic as well as his sprint slot."

Schofield junior is now in Germany preparing for the world championships familiarising himself with the surroundings.

Peter added: "Jonnie is in Germany preparing for the Great Britain senior selection. He will be focusing on doing as well as he can in the world championships, now that he is a senior.

"It is a highly challenging technical course, favouring local knowledge. So he will be spending as much time there as he can over the next few months."

After the world championships, Schofield will be competing in the World Cup Series across Europe and at Loughborough University in the autumn.