Emma Wiggs won one of two British titles at the recent World Para-canoe World Championships ©ICF

Britain's canoeing team are aiming to make history and win the first ever Paralympic gold in the sport when the discipline makes its debut at next year's Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The team have long been among the best in the world and won seven medals at last month's World Championships in Milan, five coming across the six Paralympic disciplines.

This haul included gold for Jeanette Chippington in the KL1 category for athletes using only their arms and shoulders, as well as for Emma Wiggs in the KL2 trunk and arms division, where she was followed home by team-mate Nicola Paterson.

Anne Dickins also took silver in the KL3 legs, trunk and arms category while there was a silver for Robert Oliver in the corresponding men's event. 

This means Britain have qualified a boat for Rio 2016 in these four events, missing out only on the KL1 and KL2 men's events.

Jeanette Chippington also won her fourth consecutive world title in Milan ©ICF
Jeanette Chippington also won her fourth consecutive world title in Milan ©ICF

"I was over the moon about the Paralympic results," British Canoeing performance director John Anderson told insidethegames.

"There's only six events, and we qualified four and won five medals and two of them were gold.

"We're looking in really good shape for the Paralympics.

"This is really exciting and we will be aiming to make some history.

"Hopefully get some GB Athletes winning the first Paralympic medals - that would be fantastic."

A full schedule of exactly when each final is held is yet to be published.

The team, which train alongside the British Olympic canoe sprint team, will prepare for the Games at a base in Belo Horizonte, an hour's flight from Rio de Janeiro.

They will take "strict measures" to avoid contracting illnesses on the Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas course in Rio, Anderson claimed, following concerns over high levels on pollution on the water.



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