Hope Gordon swaps skis for oars ahead of Summer Games debut

Hope Gordon didn’t know the difference between a kayak and canoe six years ago, now she will be competing in both boats at the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

The 29-year-old, who had her left leg amputated in 2016 following her diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome, was encouraged to take up para canoeing in 2018 by two-time Paralympic medallist Charlotte Henshaw.

Gordon narrowly missed out on Tokyo 2020 but did not let it dissuade her from achieving her Paralympic dreams, making history as Britain’s first-ever female para Nordic skier at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics, finishing 16th in the middle distance and 17th in the sprint cross country.

Two years later and back to the boat for her maiden summer Games at Paris 2024, Gordon is still wrapping her head around her meteoric rise to the top of, not one, but two Paralympic sports.

“Swimming was my first journey into para-sport,” she said. “It was the only sport I could really do when everything was stripped back in 2016.

“The I found para canoe and it’s been a wild few years. When I was on the train down to Nottingham for my first assessment in 2018, I had to google what the difference between a canoe and a kayak was.

“I made my international debut in 2019 and as much as it sucked to miss out on Tokyo, I would never have gone to Beijing if I hadn’t and that was a great opportunity.

“I never in a million years thought my first Paralympics would be a winter Games.

“To have now had two Games in two years is mental and it doesn’t feel like I’ve actually achieved it.

“I don’t think there will be anything similar between Beijing and Paris but I’m feeling less of a small fish in a very big pond this time round.”

The Scottish athlete, who grew up playing the bagpipes and Highland Dancing, has made substantial moves on international waters in recent years.

Gordon clinched her first world title at the 2023 Para Canoe World Championships in the VL3 before backing it up with a glittering pair of silver VL3 and KL3 medals at the 2024 event.

It’s a series of success in a short period of time that will now see Gordon enter Paris 2024 the happiest she has ever been in a boat.

“The transition after the Winter Olympics and back into canoe wasn’t as smooth as I would have liked but I was still happy with my results,” she said.

“Last year was great as I became world champion for the first time, but I would say this year has really seen me the happiest I’ve been in the sport.

“I was back on the podium and in both canoe and kayak at the World Championships so I was super happy with my performances in both boats.”

Gordon is part of a nine-strong para canoe team set to take Paris by storm this summer, including Jeanette Chippington, who will make her eighth Paralympic appearance.

It’s a stacked team that Gordon is thrilled to be a part of as she appreciates every moment on the journey to her second Games in a brand new sport.

“Our team is so strong and it’s harder to get onto the British team than it is to win a medal these days,” she said.

“I want to enjoy the next few weeks in the lead up to the Games.

“I don’t want to look back and think that I was too stressed, I should turn up to training every day with a smile on my face.

“And then hopefully that will translate to me being fast in Paris.”