Hope Gordon surprised even herself after breezing into the A final at her maiden Paracanoe World Championships. 

The KL3 para-canoeist registered a personal best 49.33 seconds to take her place in Friday’s final – leaving a world medal within striking distance.

Victory also prevented Gordon from requiring another race to secure a spot in the final, giving her an invaluable day off on Thursday ahead of her world title bid.

But crossing the line first – ahead of world champion Helene Ripa – caught Gordon herself cold, knowing how much of a confidence boost this performance can be ahead of next year’s Paralympic Games.

“I’m a bit shocked, I’ve never raced some of those girls before but I had the reigning world champion alongside me, so I knew it was going to be a tough challenge,” said the 24-year-old former swimmer.

“I wanted to try and get straight through to the A final, but I knew it would be a tough challenge to go out there and win it.

“I’m delighted, I’ve got a day off on Thursday and can rest up ahead of Friday.

“I’ve been working a lot on my starts, there is still a lot to improve on but it’s good to know that what I’ve been doing has been working.

“It’s quite different, everyone is really exciting about these World Championships and it’s set to be bigger than any of those that have gone before.

“Because it’s my first I’ve got little else to compare it to, but I wanted to come out and enjoy it. I perform best when I’m relaxed so hopefully I can chill out and go as fast as I can in the final.

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