(2017 ☆ ARCHIVED) Jeanette Chippington - Great Britain

JEANETTE CHIPPINGTON (Great Britain) - Nominee for Sportswomen of the Year Award

Born: 1970, Disciplines: kayak and va'a, Represents: Great Britain

2017: Gold KL1 200 World Championships, Czech Republic; Gold KL1 200 European Championships, Bulgaria
2016: Gold KL1 200 Paralympic Games, Brazil; SIlver KL1 200 World Championships, Duisburg; 
2015: Gold KL1 200 World Championships, Italy; Gold KL1 200 European Championships, Czech Republic.

Jeanette Chippington competed at five Paralympic Games as a swimmer before making the switch to kayaking. After taking up paracanoeing in 2011 after being nagged by a friend to try it out she has since become an international sensation, becoming the most successful paracanoeist since its inception into the World Championships in 2010.

In 2016 she became the first Paralympic champion of her class and then in 2017 she completed the three-peat by adding both the European and World Championship titles to her name. These wins make her a five-time World and three-time European Champion in the KL1 200 (Previously K1 200 A). She has also previously won gold at the World and European Championships in the Women’s V1A 200m.

In 1982 she contracted a virus which resulted in damage to her spinal cord which in turn left her paralysed in both legs, therefore Jeanette competes in the 'KL1' category, previously known as 'Arms' only in the disciplines of K1 (Kayak) and V1 (Va’a).

In the past, she has also raced up categories into the now-redundant classifications of ‘Trunk and Arms’ and ‘Legs Trunk and Arms,’ competing against athletes who had more mobility than her - she won numerous medals in both classes. With ten world championship titles to her name, spanning accross these categories, she is certainly a force to be rekoned with. 

Jeanette Chippington's sheer grit and determination is an inspiration to all of her friends, family and teammates. So much so that Emma Wiggs, who is also a Paralympic, World and European Champion, nominated her for this award. She is a role model for athletes making the transition from other disability sports and actively engages with the wider community, aiming to give people a better appreciation of disability sport. As a result of all of these amazing achievements, Jeanette Chippington is a deserving nominee for the 2017 Sportswoman of the Year award. 

Activities and achievements on and off the water:

• Collected the 2014 World Paddle Award in person in Augsburg for 'Team of the Year' on behalf of Team Great Britain Paracanoeists
• She has 2 children
• Works as a swimming instructor and coach
• She married in 1998, flying from her honeymoon to compete in the IPC Swimming World Championships in New Zealand
• 5 time Paralympian as a swimmer, winning 12 medals including two golds

This is a 2017 archived nominee. Voting has closed.