Paris 2024 Flash Quotes: Para canoe

Comments from ParalympicsGB athletes following this morning’s session.

Dave Phillipson

Result: Qualified for Men’s KL2 semi-finals with a time of 43.9 seconds.

Age: 35

Hometown: Huntington

“Not the race I wanted, put a bit too much pressure on myself. Into a semi-final so we just go again.”

On the semi-final:

“I think getting the first one out of the way is always good, you know what you’ve got and hopefully the semi-final will be a bit more relaxed and then onto the final.”

Hope Gordon

Result: Qualified for the final A in the Women’s VL3 with a Paralympics Record of 58:25. Qualified for the semi-final in the Women’s KL3 with a time of 48:96 seconds.

Age: 29

Hometown: Golspie

On whether she is pleased with the race:

“Yeah, I am. It has been a busy day, we have been waiting a long time to get started. It feels like a lot of athletes with ParalympicsGB have finished and we are just getting the party started. I wanted to get off on the right foot – but I have only got a right foot, so I was always going. I guess I just wanted to do as well as possible and I think I did that.”

Emma Wiggs

Result: Qualified for final A in the Women’s VL2 with a time of 1:00:95. Qualified for the semi-final in the Women’s KL2 with a time of 52:74.

Age: 44

Hometown: Diseworth

“What a morning, what a venue, what a crowd. It is not often para-canoe get a whole stand full of people cheering, so it is incredible to show the world what it is all about.

“Personally, I am happy with my races. The va’a went really well, it has not been an easy year in either boat, but I am happy with it. And then the kayak was everything I had, so I nearly got it.

“I then just need to make the final on Sunday, and anything can happen in a final.”

Jack Eyers

Result: Qualified for the semi-final of the Men’s VL3 semi-final with a time of 50:24 seconds.

Age: 35

Hometown: Christchurch

On the race:

“First international for a couple of months, world championships was in May so there is a little bit of blowing the cobwebs out today. Also being in lane seven and having the whole crowd sat on your shoulder, I’ve got a number of friends and family in there and I could hear them talking, or I thought I was anyway. That added to the excitement. That for me was about blowing out the cobwebs and also becoming a Paralympian. I’ve now been on the field of play, I’m now a Paralympian. Ticking the box, job done. Time to recover, then Sunday feeling good.”

Laura Sugar

Result: Qualified for final A of the Women’s KL3 with a Paralympic record of 48:14 seconds.

Age: 33

Hometown: Cambridge

On the race:

“Hard! It was hard, the race was really long. It was good, it was good to get out there, we have waited so long to get started and there were some nerves as it’s the first day of racing. You never know what everyone else is capable of, you just have to go out there and execute the race plan.

“The second half was hard, as I was into a bit of a headwind but I have been in Nottingham so I have done a few 200ms into a headwind, including one that was five or six seconds slower. We are a bit used to it but the sun lured us into a false sense of security. I am happy to get the job done and get through.”

Ed Clifton

Result: Qualified for the semi-final of the Men’s VL2 with a time of 56:30 seconds.

Age: 38

Hometown: Chelmsford

On his Paralympic debut:

“It went to plan, its what we practised, we didn’t really come out in this first one to win. Put down a solid run, which is what we’ve done. Still close enough to the other guys. Feel like we’ve got a bit more to give.”

Jeanette Chippington

Result: Qualified for the Women’s VL2 semi-final with a time of 1:03:69. Qualified for the Women’s KL1 semi-final with a time of 1:03:18.

Age: 54

Hometown: Maidenhead

“First one was really good. I think I was quite close to going straight through to final which actually would have mucked up my plans a little bit. I had planned to hopefully do a semi-final. Really well, obviously it’s just a heat so some people might have been holding back a bit. Just got to go for it in the semi-final, hopefully make the final and then just give it everything tomorrow.”

Charlotte Henshaw

Result: Qualified for final A in the Women’s VL3 with a time of 58:33 seconds. Qualified for final A in the Women’s KL2 with a time of 51 seconds.

Age: 37

Hometown: Mansfield

“It’s always going to have been a difficult morning, we were preparing for that, backing up the kayak after the va’a in the space of 45 minutes but we’ve been working on doing that in training and just pleased to get a good run under my belt. Haven’t had a hit out against th full field, but good to put down a solid performance, one that I was pretty happy with. We build it on it moving forward for a busy Saturday and Sunday.”

Rob Oliver

Result: Qualified for the Men’s KL3 semi-final with a time of 42.35 seconds.

Age: 36

Hometown: Birmingham

“I followed all my processes, did exactly what I wanted to do. Delivered the race I wanted to. The time’s out there is a bit slow, not due to a lack of effort, just a little bit of headwind. We’ve been out in Hungary in a training camp and all the times have been sub 40. I know it sounds crazy, but when you hit a 42, that extra two seconds is hard work. Hopefully the conditions will favour me tomorrow. I will do the exact same thing tomorrow. If I run that race and there is not a headwind, I would be confident I could win the whole lot. That’s how happy I am. I wouldn’t change a thing from that, it went perfect.”