Three reigning Paralympic champions headline a nine-strong Para canoe team that will represent ParalympicsGB at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games this summer.
The selected team is ParalympicsGB’s biggest Para canoe squad to compete at a Paralympic Games since the sport made its debut at Rio 2016.
Returning Paralympians Emma Wiggs, Jeanette Chippington, Charlotte Henshaw, 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 Emma Wiggs heads to the French capital in search of further Games glory this summer. 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.
Multiple world champions Charlotte Henshaw and Laura Sugar also travel to Paris looking to retain their Paralympic crowns, having won Tokyo 2020 gold in the KL2 and KL3 events respectively. Henshaw will be looking for double the success, as she also contests the women’s VL3, which makes its Games debut this summer.
Delighted to be representing ParalympicsGB for her fifth consecutive Games, Henshaw – who competed in Para swimming at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016, said: I’m so happy to be selected to represent ParalympicsGB again. I’m proud and grateful to be part of this amazing Para canoe team again and also the wider ParalympicsGB team. It’s an exciting time in an athlete’s life and even the fifth time it doesn’t get old.
“I’m excited to see the growth of the sport. I’m massively proud of Jack (Eyers) and Ed (Clifton) for making their first Games team. We also have Jeanette (Chippington) going to her eighth so we have a huge amount of experience. I’m really excited to see what we can do as a team out there and hopefully continue our tradition of being a leading Para canoe nation.”
A two-time Paralympic medallist in Para canoe, Jeanette Chippington will be heading to her eighth Games since making her debut in Para swimming at Seoul 1988. The 54-year-old has 14 Paralympic medals to her name across both sports, most recently winning VL2 bronze in Tokyo to add to her KL1 gold from Rio 2016.
Tokyo medallist Rob Oliver is back for his third Paralympics after winning KL3 bronze three years ago, whilst 2024 world silver medallist Dave Phillipson returns in the KL2 for his second Paralympics in Para canoe, having competed in wheelchair tennis for three Games prior to Tokyo.
Doubling up in the KL3 and VL3, Hope Gordon will make her first appearance at a summer Paralympics, after becoming ParalympicGB’s first ever female Para nordic skier at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games.
Making their Paralympic debuts in Paris, two-time world champion Jack Eyers and former shot-put athlete Ed Clifton will also contest the VL3 and VL2 respectively, as the duo complete the nine representing ParalympicsGB in Paris.
Eyers said: “This is a life-long dream of mine. Making it to Paris and getting to call myself a Paralympian means everything to me. I’ve worked incredibly hard the last three years to earn my place on the team and I can’t wait to get out to Paris and showcase what I can do on the biggest stage.”
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. 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.
“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.
ParalympicsGB Para canoe squad:
Emma Wiggs – VL2 & KL2
Charlotte Henshaw – KL2 & VL3
Laura Sugar – KL3
Jeanette Chippington – KL1 & VL2
Hope Gordon – VL3 & KL3
Dave Phillipson – KL2
Ed Clifton – VL2
Jack Eyers – VL3
Rob Oliver – KL3
With thanks to ParalympicsGB
