Charlotte Henshaw and Laura Sugar Defend Titles as Para-Canoe Stars Shine in Paris

Britain’s Charlotte Henshaw and Laura Sugar delivered stunning performances to retain their Paralympic titles in the final day of the Para-canoe events at the Paris Games. Henshaw, a former swimmer, clinched her second gold of the competition by defending her KL2 kayak title, while Sugar, a former sprinter, triumphed in the KL3 class.

Henshaw, 37, who had elbow surgery just a year ago, dominated her race from the start, crossing the finish line in a Paralympic record of 49.07 seconds. Her teammate Emma Wiggs secured silver, finishing in 51.56 seconds, adding to her earlier victory in the VL2 event. Hungary’s Katalin Varga, who had initially challenged Henshaw, was overtaken by Wiggs after a mid-race pause.

Reflecting on her victory, Henshaw expressed gratitude for the decision to undergo surgery in time for the Games. “The two golds was the ultimate icing on the cake,” she said.

Sugar, 33, faced stiff competition from France’s Nelia Barbosa but powered through to win her second consecutive KL3 title in a Paralympic best time of 46.66 seconds, 1.25 seconds ahead of Barbosa. Fellow Briton Hope Gordon finished fifth in the same race.

Elsewhere, former Mr. England Jack Eyers earned silver in the va’a VL3 class, narrowly missing gold to Ukraine’s Vladyslav Yepifanov. Other British competitors, Jeanette Chippington and Ed Clifton, finished seventh in their respective events, rounding off a successful campaign for the British Para-canoe team in Paris.