Highland Paralympian Hope Gordon gets support from home ahead of major race
Sutherland para-athlete Hope Gordon will compete in her first race of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on Friday, September 6.
Hope, from Rogart, is part of the nine-strong Para canoe team representing ParalympicsGB at the Summer Games. She will be competing in the KL3 and VL3 categories.
The women’s Va’a single 200m (VL3) heat is scheduled for 9.30am on Friday and the women’s kayak single 200m (KL3) heat is scheduled for 10.55am.
The first place finisher in each heat will advance to the final while all the other competitors go forward to the semi-finals.
On Saturday, September 7, the VL3 semi-final will take place at 9.49am , and the final at 11.36am.
On Sunday, the KL3 semi-final will be held at 9.42am and the final at 11.15am.
Hope, whose left leg was amputated due to Complex Pain Regional Syndrome, has taken to her social media page to express her excitement and delight at being able to take part in the Olympics.
She wrote: “It definitely hasn’t been easy but I’m ready to make it worth it. The song Mountain was written by Sam Ryder in collaboration with Ottobock ( a company that is a global leader in the field of prosthetics) to celebrate amputees overcoming adversity. Forever grateful to everyone who has climbed this mountain with me.”
A full-time athlete based at the British Canoeing Centre in Nottingham, Hope became ParalympicGB’s first ever female Para Nordic skier at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games. She won a gold medal at the Para Canoe World Championships in Duisburg, Germany, in August 2023, clocking a career best time of 56.199 seconds in the women’s VL3 200m race.
Hope said that she would be posting her exact times from this weekend’s races when they are finalised. Channel 4 will be televising the races.
Sutherland residents have been sending their best wishes. One message reads: “Good luck” Rosehall and Lairg Primary will be watching you.”
And Rachel Allan wrote: “There’s a whole community behind you. Good wishes, prayers and love, to push you through.”
