Charlotte Henshaw

Going to the theatre, travelling. (British Canoeing YouTube channel, 14 Aug 2019)

South African swimmer Natalie Du Toit, British middle distance runner Kelly Holmes. (britishswimming.org, 05 Feb 2010)

An illness prevented her from competing at the 2014 European Championships in Eindhoven, Netherlands. (nottinghampost.com, 06 Aug 2014)

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." [Vince Lombardi] (19eleven.co.uk, 01 Oct 2018)

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)

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)

Her father competed for Great Britain in karate. (swimming.org, 19 Aug 2010)

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)

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)