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Charlotte Henshaw has taken the canoe world by storm since her stunning victory at the 2018 World Championships.
The two-time Paralympic swimmer is in her third season and has had a fantastic 2019 year so far. She won her first European Championship title that followed on from her World Cup victory in the women’s KL2.
Her recent rise has threatened her teammate and multi-world and reigning Paralympic champion Emma Wiggs, who had to hand over the kayak crown to Henshaw at the 2018 Worlds.
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Biography
Impairment information
Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency
Origin of Impairment
Congenital
Classification
KL2, VL3
Further personal information
Residence
Mansfield, ENG
Occupation
Athlete, Public Speaker
Languages
English
Higher education
Psychology, Sport Studies - Stirling University: Scotland
Sport specific information
When and where did you begin this sport?
She switched from swimming to canoe sprint in 2017.
Why this sport?
She was inspired to take up sports after meeting a Paralympian at a young age. At the end of the 2016 season, having represented Great Britain in swimming at the Paralympic Games in 2008, 2012 and 2016, she was invited to spend a morning cross training with the British Para canoe team. It was the first time she had been in a kayak and loved it, so she decided to pursue the sport.
Club / Team
Nova Centurion: Mansfield, ENG
General interest
Hobbies
Going to the theatre, travelling. (British Canoeing YouTube channel, 14 Aug 2019)
Hero / Idol
South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit, British middle distance runner Kelly Holmes. (britishswimming.org, 05 Feb 2010)
Injuries
An illness prevented her from competing at the 2014 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (nottinghampost.com, 06 Aug 2014)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." [Vince Lombardi] (19eleven.co.uk, 01 Oct 2018)
Awards and honours
In June 2015 the competition pool at the Water Meadows Swimming and Fitness Complex in Mansfield, England, was renamed the Hynd and Henshaw Competition Pool in recognition of her, and Sam and Ollie Hynd's sporting achievements. (mansfield.gov.uk, 2015)
In 2010 she was named Nottinghamshire Disabled Sport's Personality of the Year in England. (motivational-paralympians.co.uk, 04 Apr 2013)
In 2010 she was named Nottinghamshire Disabled Sport's Personality of the Year in England. (motivational-paralympians.co.uk, 04 Apr 2013)
Other sports
She represented Great Britain in swimming at the Paralympic Games in 2008, 2012 and 2016. She won a silver medal in the SB6 100m breaststroke at the 2012 Games in London, and claimed bronze in the same event four years later in Rio de Janeiro. (SportsDeskOnline, 24 Oct 2019; bbc.co.uk, 09 May 2017)
Famous relatives
Her father competed for Great Britain in karate. (swimming.org, 19 Aug 2010)
Impairment
She was born with bilateral tibial hypoplasia. Both of her legs were amputated above the knee at age 18 months. (charlottehenshaw.co.uk, 11 May 2012)
Other information
FRIENDLY RIVALRY
Since switching from swimming to canoe sprint, she has formed a rivalry with Great Britain teammate Emma Wiggs. "I definitely believe that having someone you race training with you allows you to continually push yourself beyond what you perceive your limits to be. Emma and I have absolutely managed to master a positive rivalry." (paralympic.org, 23 Nov 2018)
RETIREMENT PLANS
She has previously worked with UK Sport, the government agency responsible for investing into Olympic and Paralympic sport in Great Britain. Her experiences there, combined with her love for sport, have made her consider staying in sport once she retires. "I've always been passionate about sport, it's been my life since I was tiny. I considered during my A-Levels and university whether I wanted to finish it but I think people who have been involved in sport have so much to offer when they hang up their paddle and it's really important to have people who have been involved in sport staying involved. Working with UK Sport was really eye-opening. I met people who were working in departments I didn't even know existed and it was really nice to understand the cogs in that machine that make sport in this country move. I'm definitely interested in exploring that." (British Canoeing YouTube channel, 14 Aug 2019)
Since switching from swimming to canoe sprint, she has formed a rivalry with Great Britain teammate Emma Wiggs. "I definitely believe that having someone you race training with you allows you to continually push yourself beyond what you perceive your limits to be. Emma and I have absolutely managed to master a positive rivalry." (paralympic.org, 23 Nov 2018)
RETIREMENT PLANS
She has previously worked with UK Sport, the government agency responsible for investing into Olympic and Paralympic sport in Great Britain. Her experiences there, combined with her love for sport, have made her consider staying in sport once she retires. "I've always been passionate about sport, it's been my life since I was tiny. I considered during my A-Levels and university whether I wanted to finish it but I think people who have been involved in sport have so much to offer when they hang up their paddle and it's really important to have people who have been involved in sport staying involved. Working with UK Sport was really eye-opening. I met people who were working in departments I didn't even know existed and it was really nice to understand the cogs in that machine that make sport in this country move. I'm definitely interested in exploring that." (British Canoeing YouTube channel, 14 Aug 2019)
Results
Unit | Date | Rank |
---|
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 2 | 2 | ||
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final Round | 4 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 2 | 1 | ||
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final Round | 2 | ||
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM8 | Heat 1 | 4 | ||
Women's 200 m Individual Medley SM8 | Final Round | 8 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's 400 m Freestyle S8 | Heat 1 | 2012-08-31 | 6 | |
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 2 | 2012-09-05 | 1 | |
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final Round | 2012-09-05 | 2 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final 1 | 2013-08-13 | 3 | |
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 2 | 2013-08-13 | 1 | |
Women's 400 m Freestyle S8 | Final 1 | 2013-08-14 | 8 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 1 | 2015-07-14 | 2 | |
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final 1 | 2015-07-14 | 2 |
Event | Medal | Unit | Date | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Heat 1 | 2016-09-15 | 1 | |
Women's 100 m Breaststroke SB6 | Final Round | 2016-09-15 | 3 |