Up close and personal with
Jeanette Chippington MBE
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Jeanette Chippington MBE is one of the most successful paddlers in the world with 28 medals to her name .
Having started her sporting career as a swimmer , Jeanette competed at five consecutive Paralympic Games ; Seoul , Barcelona , Atlanta , Sydney and Athens , winning a total of 12 medals , including two golds .
After a brief break from competitive sport , Jeanette swapped to paddling and made history in becoming the first ever KL1 200m paralympic gold medallist in 2016 . Now aged 50 , she has her sights set on the rescheduled Tokyo Paralympics this summer .
With International Women ’ s day a little earlier this month , we sat down with Jeanette to discuss how she has found balancing motherhood with the demands of training and the representation of women in sport .
How did you get into paddling ?
“ I retired from competitive swimming in 2004 and began coaching . It was here , some years later that I met a woman in my class who was really persistent that I gave kayaking a go . I couldn ’ t think of anything worse ,” she laughs . “ But I said I ’ d go along with her just to stop her from nagging me !
“ From the moment I got into the kayak I loved it ! I paddled 50m and was so thrilled that I hadn ’ t capsized , I decided to keep attending and increased my distances each time . I eventually joined Longridge Canoe Club and some months later , the paracanoe team were looking for new athletes . As I wasn ’ t looking to get back into competitive sports , I ’ m not sure why I went along to their trial session , but I did , and before I knew it I was training twice a day everyday !”
Although both her son and daughter are now older Jeanette tells us how she juggled motherhood with training in the early years .
“ After having my son , I felt a real sense of wanting to prove myself . I was still competing as a swimmer then , and was back in the pool two weeks postpartum . When he was just nine weeks old I flew to Sydney for a training camp and competitions . Looking back I ’ m not sure how I managed it . On reflection , it would have been nice to have had more support from the sport so I didn ’ t feel I had to draw a line so cleanly between myself as a mother and myself as an athlete .
“ When I made the move to kayaking the children were in school so training was a bit more manageable . I also remember my coach saying to me , that whatever I did had to be sustainable or I wouldn ’ t be able to keep it up . I think that is a really good piece of advice . After a hard session , all I ’ d want to do is go to bed , but I ’ d have to do the children ’ s bath and bedtime first .”
With such an active mother , sport is very much a family affair . Both Jeanette ’ s children and husband kayak and all three of them were in Rio as Jeanette took gold at the 2016 Paralmpic Games .
“ Having my family there screaming my name and cheering as I stood on the podium is a feeling I can ’ t explain . It ’ s not so much about the medal , it is everything along the way - all the support they have given me . Enjoying the journey is so important otherwise it is a very hard road to travel .”
The theme of this year ’ s International Women ’ s Day is # ChooseToChallenge . What would you say are the biggest challenges for women in sport ?
“ Whether you ’ re an athlete , or work in a completely different industry , having a family and trying to make the two work is a big challenge . My coach gave me a book ‘ Invisible Women ’ this Christmas and it is such an interesting read . There are still so many hurdles to overcome , but I would say securing equal media time and profiling for women ’ s sport is a challenge we need to work on . It should be a naturally occurring thing , rather than tokenistic or celebrated when women ’ s sport is shown on tv .”
Jeanette secured the British boat quota spot for the Tokyo Paralympic Games and will be looking to qualify her place in the KL1 and VL2 events at the British selection event set to be held in April .
Canoe Focus Early Spring 2021