Mansfield star Charlotte Henshaw secures selection for her fifth Paralympics

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Mansfield's Charlotte Henshaw has finally been confirmed for an impressive fifth Paralympics after selection for the Para-canoe event in Paris this September.

Despite holding the KL2 kayak Paralympic title from Tokyo and recently taking her ninth and 10th world titles, Henshaw still had to negotiate a qualfying weekend at Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham before she could secure her place last week.

Henshaw will be looking for double the success, as she also contests the women’s VL3 event, which makes its Games debut this summer.

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Few athletes chalk up five Games and she said: “It is a special achievement and one that I am very proud of.

Charlotte Henshaw - heading for Paris Games. Photo by Garry Bowden.Charlotte Henshaw - heading for Paris Games. Photo by Garry Bowden.
Charlotte Henshaw - heading for Paris Games. Photo by Garry Bowden.

“I hadn't really though much about it until selection and have now made a conscious effort to reflect on that.

“I think as athletes we don't often look back on our achievements as we are always looking for the next challenge.

“I am very grateful that my body has kept up with the training I have asked it to do.

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“At 37 that is not a given. But I am fortunate I have been largely all right with my health and injury.

“And I am grateful for another chance to help grow the Paralympic movement.

“Having met a Paralympic athlete when I was 10 I was inspired to try to become a Paralympian too.

“If you had told that 10-year-old I would go to five of them I would never have believed you.

“So I am now hoping I can be that person for someone else.”

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Henshaw is one of three reigning Paralympic champions headlining a nine-strong Para-canoe team that will represent ParalympicsGB in their biggest Para-canoe squad to compete at a Games since the sport made its debut at Rio 2016, Henshaw having competed in swimming in her first three Paralympics.

On her qualifying event in Nottingham, she said: “It is always tricky racing Emma Wiggs, but we had two races for best of three and I won both of them.

“So I knew I had put myself in a good position to be selected.

“But, even though I had won those races, you are still at the mercy of the selection panel.

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“So I am glad they think I showcased enough form this year to go the the Games.

“I am incredibly grateful and looking forward to the end of the summer.

“It feels like September is a long way away but it's not when you look at it in terms of weeks.

“We will be collecting our kit next week, which is a day athletes always look forward to.

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“Then we will be off to a warm weather training camp for a couple of weeks to get a bit of heat acclimatisation, which will hope will be needed in Paris.

“Then it's back for a couple of weeks before we head off to our holding prep camp at the end of August. So it is very busy now which will make the time go even quicker.”

Returning Paralympians Wiggs, Henshaw, Jeanette Chippington, Laura Sugar, Rob Oliver, Dave Phillipson and Hope Gordon will be joined by Jack Eyers and Ed Clifton, who make their Paralympic debuts in Paris.

Three-time Paralympic medallist Wiggs heads to the French capital in search of further Games glory this summer.

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With 12 World Championship titles to her name, Wiggs claimed her first Paralympic title in the KL2 in Rio, before achieving further success at Tokyo 2020, winning gold in the VL2 and KL2 silver.

Penny Briscoe, Chef de Mission at ParalympicsGB, said: “The strength in depth of this Para-canoe squad is testament to the hard work and dedication that every athlete has shown in the build up to Paris 2024.

“I’m absolutely delighted to welcome all nine athletes to the ParalympicsGB team and look forward to seeing what the squad can achieve on the water in Paris later this summer.”

Chris Furber, Performance Director for Para-canoe, said: “I’m thrilled and honoured to be leading such a strong Para canoe team to Paris 2024 this summer.

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“All nine athletes have performed exceptionally well to make this world-leading team for ParalympicsGB.

“We have a fantastic mix of experience, with Jeanette Chippington competing at her eighth Paralympic Games, as well as the likes of Jack and Ed making their Paralympic debuts.

“There are world medallists within our own team who won’t be with us in Paris, which only goes to highlight our strength in depth as a nation in this sport and the highly competitive environment that the Paralympics have become.

“We consistently topped the World Championship medal table, and that’s testament to our athletes, but also our staff, who work tirelessly to ensure we head into every competition in a strong position and best prepared.

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“Our focus is now on the next few months in the build up to an exciting Games, and the entire team will work really hard to ensure we are ready to perform this summer.”

A total of around 230 athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Paris, with further names to be announced by ParalympicsGB in the coming weeks.

At Tokyo 2020 ParalympicsGB won medals across a record breaking 18 different sports - the highest number of any nation ever. Paralympics GB finished second on the medal table with 124 medals overall, including 41 gold, 38 silver and 45 bronze.

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