Arriving at the Paralympic Games as a double world champion, the pressure was on Great Britain’s Charlotte Henshaw to deliver golden moments in Paris.
Just four months before the Games, Henshaw issued a big statement to her rivals with two titles at the International Canoe Federation Paracanoe World Championships in Szeged.
Although it was a boost to her conference, it also mounted extra pressure on the shoulders of Henshaw who was attempting to do the double at the Paralympic Games.
Dealing with such expectations could have proved to be overwhelming but Henshaw managed to find the “perfect mindset” – a state of mind that enabled her to not only produce gold medal-winning performances but also enjoy her time in Paris.
“It was a whirlwind,” said Henshaw when reflecting on securing the women’s KL2 and women’s VL3 titles at last year’s Paralympic Games.
“Going into the Games as a double world champion brought its pressures, but we were so well prepared.
“To win those two gold medals was the ultimate dream that I had and I am so pleased that it came to fruition.
“It’s certainly a career highlight.
“I am very used to doubling up in the KL2 and VL3 now.
“It brings its challenges but it’s a pressure that I feel very lucky to have.
“Not everybody has the opportunity to race both boats.
“I think it’s something you should see as a privilege to be able to do that rather than something that should be moaned about.”
After returning home with two gold medals around her neck, Henshaw opted to take time away from the sport to recover physically and mentally.
During that period, Henshaw had to adapt to a big change after her coach Hannah Brown moved to pastures new.
Brown, who coached several of Great Britain’s Paracanoe paddlers to success in Paris, was appointed as Paddle UK’s Canoe Sprint Podium Coach in February.
“It’s been challenging, I’m not going to lie,” said 38-year-old Henshaw.
“It’s been a challenging process.
“I think it’s always going to be a challenge to get used to a new coaching set-up and it’s particularly challenging when you are coming from a coaching relationship that I had with Hannah that was incredibly successful.
“It’s about building those new relationships, drawing on people that you train around to create that thing that you created in that last cycle.
“Laura Sugar and I trained together every day, so we are using each other to push each other forward.
“Yes, it’s a challenge but we have got to see it as an exciting one. We are at the very start of that journey.”
Henshaw, the triple Paralympic gold medallist and 10-time world champion, believes her time off the water and the changes to her coaching team have given her a fresh mindset for 2025.
“This year is about seeing what I can do with minimal pressure, minimal expectations and enjoying what our beautiful sport has to offer without having that pressure and hopefully just enjoying the atmospheres a little bit more,” said Henshaw.
“It is very strange and unsettling because it’s not what my usual mindset is but I hope that allows me to do things.
“Perhaps being relaxed will do that.
“I think I tapped into that mindset in Paris.
“It was about me thinking ‘Can I be present and enjoy the privilege of being at my fifth Paralympic Games?’.
“I managed to achieve that perfect mindset on the days that I raced.
“I want to carry that forward into the new cycle.
“For me, it’s about longevity.
“I have been around the sport for an awful long time, and I want to be in Los Angeles so it’s about being smart in how we manage this cycle.
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“I am trying to explore parts of me that aren’t the paddler part of me and preparing for that day where I have got to hang up my paddles for good.
“I’m not getting any younger and the training and racing doesn’t get any easier.
“The precarious nature of sport means that it could potentially finish at any time.
“I’m trying to make the most of the opportunities that come my way, like public speaking and trying to be a bit more of a mentor for younger paddlers and show them what our sport can offer them.”
Up next for Henshaw is a tilt at another golden double as she aims to defend her KL2 and VL3 titles at the ICF Paracanoe World Championships in Milan.
Henshaw will headline the British team at the World Championships that runs from August 20 to 24.
“It’s a course that I have never raced at so it’s nice to go somewhere new and I love Italy,” said Henshaw.
“It’s always a privilege to race at a World Championships.
“I am looking forward to being there and seeing the sport grow.
“That’s what is most exciting.
“Paracanoe is getting bigger and better every year. I have been involved since 2017, and it’s grown hugely since then.
“It’s exciting to see some new paddlers starting and they will be experiencing their first World Championships and that’s great to see.
“I would just love to be part of the Paralympic Games in Los Angeles.
“It’s massively enticing to go a Games out there, especially if the Americans promote the Paralympics in a way that I can see that they are going to.
“It’s really important to grow the profile of Para sport and we need a nation like that to really back it to bring it to the next level so to be a part of that would be amazing.
“If you had told me when I was a 10-year-old and I had met my first Paralympic medallists that I would potentially be a six-time Paralympian I would not have believed you.
“That’s incredibly tempting to want to try to get that title against my name so I’m just hoping to be there and still be competing against the best in the world, that would be a real privilege.”
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