Charlotte Henshaw claims first Euro gold medal at Paracanoe European Championships

Mansfield’s Charlotte Henshaw was ecstatic to bounce back from a disappointing performance in the heats to win her first European title at the Paracanoe European Championships.

Henshaw’s victory in the women’s KL2 — which added to her World Championship triumph last year — was further success for the two-time Paralympic swimming medallist who switched sports in 2017

In strong winds in Poland, the 32-year-old produced a brilliant time of 49.022s to win the KL2 final, with GB compatriot Emma Wiggs – who won gold in the VL2 24 hours earlier – taking silver.

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“I wasn’t too happy with my performance in the heats,” said Henshaw.

“It felt like I didn’t really deliver an optimal performance, so it was really important for me to reset and forget about it.

“That was what I was most pleased about – that I could put down a good run after being disappointed about the day before.”

Henshaw’s gold was one of six British medals on day two of the championships in Poznan.

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She added: “There are a lot of learnings and I’m pleased to come away with my first European title. It’s testament to how prepared we are that we managed to get everyone down the course successfully despite the conditions.”

Battling with Wiggs for the gold medal has become a regular occurrence for Henshaw over the past two years. In March she said she hoped the friendly rivalry would end with a aplace at the Tokyo Paralympics.

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