Brianna Hennessy

Started: She got involved in Para canoe sprint in 2020. (ottawasportspages.ca, 12 May 2021) Reason: Following her accident, she was introduced to wheelchair rugby through the Ottawa Hospital Rehabilitation Centre in Ontario, Canada. She was unable to train for the sport during the COVID-19 pandemic so her wheelchair rugby coach Patrice Dagenais encouraged her to try Para canoe sprint. "I'd never done a water sport in my life. So, I was completely out of my element, but I'm also the type of person that's always looking for new challenges and ways to regain my purpose in life. Since my accident, sports to me is the closest [thing] to home and is my sense of freedom and independence." (ottawasportspages.ca, 12 May 2021) Ambition: To win a medal at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (cbc.ca, 22 Aug 2023) Additional Info: FIRST RACE Her first competitive race in Para canoe sprint was at the Canadian Paralympic Trials for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "It was a lot of pressure on me. I didn't know [a lot], from the start line, to lining up my boat, to how quickly they would say, 'Ready, set, go'. I wasn't even in the correct boat. I was in a boat that was at least 10 pounds heavier than I was supposed to be in." (ottawasportspages.ca, 12 May 2021) OCCUPATION She works as a senior underwriting manager at the Business Development Bank of Canada. (paralympic.ca, 23 Aug 2023)

Sporting Relatives: Her parents both played football at national level in Canada. (sportskanazee.com, 09 Dec 2020)