Hope_Gordon
Hope Gordon
British paracanoeist and para Nordic skier
Hope Gordon (born 4 November 1994) is a British paracanoeist and a para Nordic skier. She competed at the 2022 Winter Paralympics becoming Great Britain's first ever female para Nordic skier. She is a three-time World silver medalist in paracanoe.[1][2]
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| Born | (1994-11-04) 4 November 1994 (age 29) Golspie, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Home town | Rogart, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | Edinburgh Napier University Forth Valley College | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country |  Great Britain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Paracanoe Para Nordic skiing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability | Leg amputation due to CRPS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disability class | KL3/VL3 (canoe) LW12 (skiing) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Gordon had her left leg amputated above the knee in 2016 following her diagnosis of complex regional pain syndrome four years earlier. She started Paralympic swimming after recovering from her operation, she had missed out a place to compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, she switched to paracanoe after seeing a canoeing advert looking for talented athletes and was encouraged by Paralympic swimmer Charlotte Henshaw who was also a swimmer turned paracanoeist. She finished fourth in her debut competition in Poznań at the 2019 Paracanoe European Championships, she won her first medals at the 2021 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships by winning two silver medals in both the kayak and canoe events.[3][4]
Gordon made her debut Paralympic appearance at the 2022 Winter Paralympics, she finished 16th in the middle distance and 17th in the sprint cross country. She described the snowy conditions as 'mashed tatties' at Zhangjiakou where the skiing event was held.[5]
- "Hope Gordon - ParalympicsGB". ParalympicsGB. 8 October 2022.
- "Hope Gordon - International Paralympic Committee". International Paralympic Committee. 8 October 2022.
- "Para-canoeist Hope Gordon: "After my amputation I felt like I could do whatever I wanted"". BBC Sport. 16 August 2019.
- "Hope Gordon - the remarkable resilience behind struggles & success". Women's Sports Alliance. 23 September 2022.
- "Highlander Hope Gordon hampered by "mashed tatties" snow condition as Paralympic debut in Beijing draws to a close". Ross-shire Journal. 23 February 2022.