Paris 2024: Best Para canoe moments

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were packed with memorable moments, including athletic feats and historic firsts, that took place at stunning venues in front of a vocal crowd.  

We will share three moments from each sport that made the Games very special. 

Top moment

Former Para swimmer Charlotte Henshaw won not one, but two golds at Paris 2024, winning the women's va'a single 200m VL3 final, then successfully defending her Paralympic title in the women's kayak single 200m KL2. 

"That was probably the hardest kayak race I've ever had in terms of conditions. It was so challenging. You can see we all had a bit of a wobble in the middle, great big crosswind," Henshaw said after claiming her second gold.

"It's testament to the guys back at home, our coach Hannah (Brown), who reminds us every day that we can manage in any conditions. I had to draw on every ounce of that in that race. 

"Thankfully, it got me over the line in that gold-medal position and I couldn't be happier." 

Great Britain was the most successful nation in Para canoe at Paris 2024, thanks in part to Henshaw's two golds. The 37-year-old debuted in Para swimming at Beijing 2008, winning 100m breaststroke SB6 silver at London 2012 and bronze at Rio 2016. 

Henshaw thought that Rio 2016 would likely be her last Paralympic Games. She retired from swimming, but decided to give Para canoe a try—and the rest is history.

"What is great is when our squad expanded when I came over (from Para swimming), there was a lot of new athletes. It meant that we had multiple athletes in multiple events," said Henshaw. 

She was joined on the podium by two other British canoeists who formerly competed at the Paralympics in other sports.

Hope Gordon, who competed in Para nordic skiing at Beijing 2022 and also used to swim, took silver in the women's va'a single 200m VL3. Emma Wiggs, who represented Great Britain in sitting volleyball at London 2012, finished second in the women's kayak single 200m KL2. 

"Because I was coming into that event, and Emma was the Paralympic champion (at Rio) 2016 when I moved in 2017, I was chasing the best in the world at our domestic competitions. There's no surprise again that we're pushing each other to those top two steps of the podium," continued Henshaw.

"These are my fifth Games and I feel like just everything's come together at the right moment. I'm immensely grateful to all the support staff, my family and friends to get me to this point. It's a massive team effort. 

"I'm the one out there, but I don't get there on my own. I'd like to remember it as just an amazing three days for our squad. We've got more to come. Watch this space." 

Biggest surprise

Algeria’s Brahim Guendouz captured Africa’s first-ever Paralympic canoe gold medal, crossing the finish line first in the men's kayak 200m KL3 final. 

This was the debut Paralympics for Guendouz, who finished ninth in this same event just four months earlier at the 2024 world championships. In 2023, he won 200m KL3 world championship bronze, becoming the first Para canoeist from Algeria to claim a world championship medal.

Guendouz was strong throughout his races at Vaires-sur-Marne Stadium, finishing second in heat 2 and first in semifinal 1 to progress to the final. He crossed the finish line in 39.91 to claim the gold, just 0.1 off the Paralympic Games best time and ahead of silver medallist Dylan Littlehales of Australia and bronze medallist Miqueias Elias Rodrigues of Brazil.

Home hero

Winning a medal in front of a home crowd was a dream come true for France's Nelia Barbosa, who took silver in the women's kayak 200m KL3 for the host nation's best Para canoe performance at Paris 2024.

"It's been years that I've been waiting for this. To be able to come second at home, in front of this crowd, in front of my friends and family and everyone I love, I'm so emotional," said Barbosa.

"Today was like a dream. I had a really hard preparation, so I was really stressed about racing here in Paris in front of the French crowd, but I loved it. If I could do it again, I would do it 10 times. 

Barbosa finished just behind Great Britain's Laura Sugar, the same result as at Tokyo 2020, with Sugar winning gold and Barbosa silver. 

"It was a good performance in a tricky race. I gave everything, I gave 100% today, I managed that race well and I didn't expect to do as well. I'm so proud of myself."