Hope Gordon

Started: She began pursuing Para canoe sprint seriously in 2018. (britishcanoeing.org.uk, 21 Nov 2018) Reason: She received an email from British Para swimmer Charlotte Henshaw, who had made the switch to Para canoe sprint. Henshaw was looking for other athletes to take up the sport, so Gordon decided to make the transition. (bbc.co.uk, 16 Aug 2019) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (bbc.com, 25 Aug 2023) Milestones: She became the first female Nordic skier to represent Great Britain at the Paralympic Winter Games when she competed in the women's sitting sprint cross-country skiing event at the 2022 Games in Beijing. (paralympic.org, 09 Mar 2022; bbc.co.uk, 09 Mar 2022) Awards: She received the Sporting Award at the 2020 Young Scot Awards in Scotland. (young.scot, 13 Aug 2020; ywcascotland.org, 2020) She was named the 2018 Sports Person with a Disability of the Year by East Lothian Council in Scotland. (eastlothian.gov.uk, 31 Oct 2018) She carried the Olympic torch through Inverness, Scotland, in the lead-up to the 2012 Olympic Games in London. (winningstudents-scotland.ac.uk, 25 Apr 2013) Additional Info: NORDIC SKIING She first tried skiing in 2021 in a snow tunnel in Germany and a month later she was on real snow in Norway. Having only taken up Para Nordic skiing in October 2021, she was selected to compete in the sport at the world championships in Lillehammer, Norway, in January 2022. "I first got into the sport through a friend of mine, Scott Meenagh who's been on the [British] team for quite a while and went to Pyeongchang for the 2018 Paralympic Games. He's been telling me for years that he thinks I would enjoy the sport. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it could really benefit my canoeing and training to make the boat go faster. I spoke to my [canoe] coach Matt Lawrence about it and he was super supportive and here we are. As much as I feel this can benefit my paddling, my paddling is also benefiting my racing on the snow too, particularly with having strength in my arms." (britishcanoeing.org.uk, 10 Jan 2022; northern-times.co.uk, 04 Jan 2022) FULL CIRCLE IN BEIJING Her introduction to the Paralympic Games was watching the 2008 Games in Beijing on television. She saw Beijing herself when she was part of the British cross-country skiing team at the 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. "It's really pretty special that Beijing is my first Paralympics. The first time I saw the Paralympics was the summer Games in 2008. I had recently been diagnosed with CRPS [complex regional pain syndrome] and had a procedure which didn't go quite right, it left me pretty ill and I don't remember much from that week. One thing I do remember was watching the Paralympics on a tiny TV in my hospital room, I remember watching the swimming, especially Ellie Simmonds winning those two incredible golds. Arriving at the [2022 Paralympic Winter Games] opening ceremony and seeing the Water Cube [Beijing National Aquatics Centre] and the Bird's Nest [National Stadium] was a real reminder of where I was in that hospital bed in 2008 and everything that has happened since." (Facebook profile, 05 Mar 2022) FROM SWIMMING TO PADDLING In July 2018 she announced she was turning her focus to Para canoe sprint instead of Para swimming after she was selected to join British Canoeing's 2019 World Class Programme. "Some people might find it strange that I'm stepping away [from swimming] while still improving but swimming to me is so much more than performance. It's hard to put into words the impact swimming has had on my life. It helped me pick myself up and carry on during the toughest of times, taught me to be resilient when my health was falling apart and doctors were telling me everything I didn't want to hear, but most importantly it gave me a reason to get out of bed in the morning when most of the time I just wanted to hide." (findingyourfeet.net, 19 Dec 2018; britishcanoeing.org.uk, 21 Nov 2018; Instagram profile, 28 Jul 2018) FURTHER EDUCATION She has studied fitness, health and exercise at Forth Valley College in Falkirk, Scotland. (Facebook profile, 18 Jun 2017)