Hope Gordon, the multi-sport Paralympic athlete, is determined to focus on her own performance at the ICF Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Championships in Poznan, Poland, from 26-30 August, after a busy year that included her Commonwealth Games debut in para-powerlifting.
Third sport at elite level
Gordon competed in the women's heavyweight para powerlifting at the Glasgow 2026 Games, marking her third different sport at the elite level after representing Team GB at the Beijing 2022 Winter Paralympics as the first ever female para Nordic skier for the team. She has been involved in para sport since the amputation of her left leg above the knee in 2016.
Reflecting on her season, Gordon said: “It’s been all go-go-go this season, Worlds will be my fifth international in four months since May, it’s been quite a busy year that I’ll hopefully end on a high. Four internationals, two World Cups and I managed to squeeze the Commonwealth Games in!”
“I’ve tried to say yes – before my operation, I spent a long time not being able to say yes, so for the last 10 years, I’ve been trying to say yes as much as I can.”
Focus on her own race
Gordon, who was born in Golspie, Scotland, is feeling positive ahead of her KL3 kayak campaign in Poznan, where she had her first international competition in 2019. She noted that her kayak has stepped up in competition this year due to focusing on her own performances rather than worrying about competitors.
“I’ve previously got a bit too caught up in the races, which has led me to not race my own race. I actually had my first international competition in Poznan in 2019, so it’s cool to go back there. I’ve never competed there in the summer, and the weather is well known for being pretty horrendous, so I’m optimistic that we’re going to have great conditions.”
She added: “It’s been a successful year and I’ve been fortunate to be on multiple podiums, so that does come with expectation, but if I deliver my best 200m, the results will look after themselves.”
Team and goals
Gordon is part of a team that includes reigning Paris 2024 champions Charlotte Henshaw and Emma Wiggs, as well as 2024 Paralympic silver medallists Dave Phillipson and Jack Eyers.
Gordon was clear that the World Championships were always her primary focus. “As soon as I knew that the Commies were heading back to Scotland, it was a case of seeing how I could get there,” she said. “I’m very proud and privileged to have been able to have had that experience and the atmosphere was just amazing.”
“It was much more of a personal goal than performance-based, and in the front of my mind, I still had the World Championships as the main goal. I never spent more than five days out of the boat throughout the Commonwealth Games. I had every day of July planned in March.”
“I always dreamed of being part of Team Scotland and I dabbled in lots of sports when I was an able-bodied kid, it’s cool to be able to have competed in a few sports at a high level.”
