Silver medal-winning canoeist David Florence applied to become an astronaut but was told he had failed shortly before the Beijing Olympics, his parents said today.

He was so keen to get through the European Space Agency selection process that he lied about speaking Russian and rushed to the library for a book on the language, Jill and George Florence said.

"The application form said: Are you fluent in Russian?' He thought I don't think I should say no so I had better put yes and start learning it'," his father said.

After he took second place in today's slalom final, Mrs Florence said she thought canoeing was safer than space travel and admitted she was "quite nervous" about the thought of him going into orbit.

"I was quite worried about that. It is extremely dangerous. This is safer, I imagine."

She added: "I was disappointed for him when he didn't make it.

"You have to learn Russian first. He had started learning Russian. He went to the library to get a book and the woman said: This book you can take out for six weeks. Usually it is three weeks'.

"He said: Maybe it takes six weeks to learn Russian'."

Florence celebrated his 26th birthday on Friday as the Olympics opened with a spectacular ceremony on a date considered lucky by the Chinese because it featured the number eight three times.

He prepared for Beijing by learning Chinese, his parents said.

His father said: "He had been learning Mandarin for coming here, for the last year and a half."

Florence, from Aberdeen, went to The University of Nottingham where his brother Fraser and sister Lyndsey currently study and still lives in the city.

Mrs Florence said it was very difficult when he first left home aged 17: "He was a long way away and we missed him. We knew that down there he had a lot of support.

"All the Scots who made it to Great Britain level all went there because it was too difficult to train and do a degree at the same time."

She added: "The plan now is for a big celebration."