Golden girl Charlotte Henshaw made Paralympics history on Saturday when the Mansfield sportswoman became the first winner of the new Va’a boat racing event.

Charlotte, a Paralympic champion in swimming before switching to canoeing, got off to a good start in the VL3 200m final, having qualified the previous day.

She surged ahead of GB teammate Hope Gordon in the final and remained in charge to finish in 55.70 with Gordon taking silver in 56.58 and China’s Yongyuan 57.43

Va’a, which is a Tahitian word, has been included in her classification for the first time in 2024.

Tomorrow Charlotte – who is at her fifth Paralympics – will compete in the kayak final of her classification, KL2 200m. She competed in swimming at her first three Paralympics before switching to paracanoeing.