First taste of Paris Paralympics course for Mansfield star Charlotte Henshaw

Now she is hoping she will be selected for a fifth Paralympics in a row.

Having won the KL2 200 in the ICF Paracanoe World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, for the fifth time in a row - and eighth world title overall - at the end of last month, Charlotte, 36, travelled on to Paris for the ICF World Cup where she landed KL2 200 gold and VL2 200 silver behind fellow Brit Hope Gordon.

“I am hoping to race both of those at the Paralympics next year if I am selected,” she said.

“The KL2 is the kayak which has been my main event and the VL2 is the Va'a boat – a Tahitian word – and I have been world champion in that for three years since 2019-2022. But I didn't race in it this year.

“It would be a new event for my classification in Paris which means we have equity with the men in terms of the events available for the female paddlers. And for Great Britain it is the chance for two extra medals as we have the current gold and silver medalists in the world, so it's a good thing for GB.”

Her win in Duisburg also secured GB a spot in Paris at KL2.

She said: “It doesn't mean it's necessarily me yet that will be in it, but someone from Britain can now compete in that classification at Paris after my win. It was the selection for the quota spot for the nation.”

On the Vaires Sur Marne sprint and paracanoe course itself, Charlotte said: “It can be a windy course. It is very open course so if the wind whips up it can get quite strong.

“But it's looking promising. It will be a really good venue, it's just they have not got a great deal done yet, but it's always good to get a practice on the course.

“And being 'close-ish', we are hoping we can maybe come out here a couple more times to practice and get used to it a bit more.

“It was exciting to be able to race on it and I am looking forward to hopefully being there again next year.”

In the meantime she can only plan and hope as squad selections will not be made until next summer with the Paralympics starting at the end of August.

“Our selection is not until June next year – it's pretty late,” she said.

“We have our selection regatta in Nottingham in early June when the top athletes in each classification will be selected for the Paralympics.

“Hopefully if I am selected in one of those boats I will be able to race in the other too once I am there.

“The team will be done and dusted and named by the middle of June I hope.

“I am about to have a bit of a break now but we will be back in training in October with a full season ahead working towards Paris.

“We have a World Championships in May which is on the radar for me to compete at so it is a busy year ahead being a Games year. It is full steam ahead from October onwards.”

Originally a swimmer, Charlotte represented Great Britain in the 2010, 2013 and 2015 IPC World Championships and the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio Paralympics, winning a silver medal at the London games, followed by a bronze in Rio.

She changed to canoeing in 2017, becoming the reigning World champion in the KL2 (five-time) and VL3 (three-time) 200m events.

In September 2021, at the delayed 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, she became a Paralympic champion at her fourth games, winning the Women's KL2 event.

Charlotte was recruited to the British Paracanoe team in June 2021, specialising in KL2 Kayak, and VL3 Va'a events.