Canoe sprint star Emily Lewis admits her stamina will make or break her chances of reaching the European Championship final in Munich.

The Tunbridge Wells athlete finished fourth in Thursday’s kayak single 1000m heats and will race for a place in a medal showdown tomorrow at the multi-sport event.

Lewis, 29, crossed the line in 1:58.885 as Anamaria Govorcinovic, Teresa Portela and Vanina Paoletti grabbed the top three places.

Lewis came flying out of the Bavarian blocks in but was unable to maintain that searing pace into the final 250m.

And ahead of Friday afternoon’s semi-final, she said: “It was a tough race and quite a long one.

“I liked the start but found the last 250m a bit harder.

“That’s what I’ve been working on and what I’ll continue to work on.

“All the 200m work I did last year is helping the first half of my race, but I need to work on that back end and get a stronger finish.

“It’s going to be super exciting – we’re all going to push to get in that final.

“My main aim is to get the boat off the start, push down that first 250m and I’m really looking forward to it.

“Each competition we’ve been to, we’ve learned a lot.

“We’re just trying to build on that and trying to be better as a team.”

For the second edition in 2022, the innovative multi-sports European Championship brings together the existing championships of the continent’s leading sports into one event that elevates the champions of Europe.

And Lewis has every chance of grabbing one of the 177 gold medals on offer after her opening day display.

Canoe sprint was one of the last sports to get underway at the 11-day German bonanza with athletics, cycling, gymnastics and sport climbing also featuring.

Triathlon, table tennis and beach volleyball also star in the revamped event, which was hosted in Glasgow and Berlin four years ago.

Lewis is buzzing to be part of it and after competing at the city’s 1972 Olympic Regatta Centre, added: “It’s super cool to be here.

“It’s awesome to be part of that multi-sport event and know that you’ve got other competitors around.

“I’m hoping to go and watch the athletics on Sunday so I am looking forward to that.”

The multi-sport European Championships Munich 2022, featuring Athletics, Beach Volleyball, Canoe Sprint, Cycling, Gymnastics, Table Tennis, Triathlon, Rowing, Sport Climbing, takes place 11th-21st August on the 50th anniversary of the Olympics Games in the German city. Watch daily live coverage across BBC One, Two, Red Button, BBC iPlayer, BBC Sport website