Charlotte Henshaw

Started: She first tried paddling in late 2016. (Facebook page, 26 Aug 2023) Reason: She was inspired to take up sports after meeting a Paralympian at a young age. At the end of her 2016 swimming season, after she had represented Great Britain in the pool 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 she loved it, so she decided to pursue the sport. (paralympic.org, 23 Nov 2018; 19eleven.co.uk, 01 Oct 2018) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (chad.co.uk, 13 Sep 2023) Awards: She was named Mansfield Sportsperson of the Year in 2019, 2022, and 2023. (chad.co.uk, 09 Dec 2023, 10 Dec 2022) She was named Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE] in the 2022 New Year Honours list. (britishcanoeing.org.uk, 01 Jan 2022) 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 achievements, as well as those of British Para swimmers Sam Hynd and Oliver Hynd. (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) Additional Info: SWITCHING SPORTS She previously competed as a swimmer, winning silver at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and bronze at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She was planning to retire from sport altogether after the 2016 Games but decided instead to try a different sport, and trained with the British Para cycling and Para triathlon team before choosing to pursue Para canoe. "I knew going into the Rio games that it would potentially be my last Paralympics as a swimmer and at that time my last Paralympics in total. I remember sitting at the closing ceremony at Rio thinking, 'Crikey I really don't want this to be it'. I wasn't sure that I could do another four years swimming as I think that I had reached my peak and the age profile of swimming is much younger than other sports. When I retired from swimming I knew that I still wanted to be part of the Paralympic movement in some way and I thought, 'Well I live in Nottinghamshire, they [British Canoeing] are based in Nottingham, it's close by' and I thought I will go and give it a go. I didn't expect to love it as much as I did and as soon as I got in a boat I felt that this was a challenge that I wanted to take on." (thebigkickoff.com, 05 Jun 2020; Some Essex Lad and a Paralympian podcast, 10 Sep 2020) CHANGE OF COACH She began training with coach Hannah Brown in 2022 after her previous coach Colin Radmore left the sport. "I'd only had one coach since joining canoeing. Over the last 18 months [speaking in March 2024] I've been trying to build a new coaching relationship which is not something that I've been well versed in during my career. I was with my swimming coach Glenn Smith for 18 years apart from when I went to university. I really value that longevity in a coach-athlete relationship, so it was quite a challenge for both parties at first. But what we've found is a really open and honest working relationship. Hannah is a former athlete herself and she's so passionate about canoeing and has so much knowledge and I think that has trickled down to her athletes. We're constantly searching for new ways to improve our paddling and that's all stemmed from her. I'm excited to see what we can do leading into Paris [the 2024 Paralympic Games]." (mirror.co.uk, 07 Mar 2024; independent.co.uk, 11 Jan 2024) DIAGNOSIS In December 2020 she was diagnosed with endometriosis. The condition involves tissue similar to the lining of the uterus growing outside the uterus, and can cause severe pain. "What I now know was endometriosis started around 2010, 2011, while I was still swimming. I was getting constant pain in my right-hand side, low down. On a bad day it was so debilitating, I couldn't do anything. What helps me is a heat pack, I pretty much live with a hot water bottle wrapped round my waist when I'm having a flare-up. Acupuncture has helped me quite a lot. It [endometriosis] needs to be taken more seriously. It affects one in 10 women." (independent.co.uk, 11 Jan 2024; inews.co.uk, 27 Dec 2023; bbc.co.uk, 08 May 2023) FUTURE 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)

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