Three years after taking up table tennis, the 17-year-old Kavanagh College pupil has been named in the New Zealand under-18 and senior men's table tennis squads.
He started playing only because a nasty rugby injury ruled him out of contact sport in 2012.
Henderson broke his cheek in two places playing rugby for his school against Taieri College, when he attempted to tackle a much bigger opponent.
The injury also ruled him out of football and basketball, meaning he needed to find something else to do with his time.
He started using the family table tennis table in the garage, before his father, Chris, encouraged him to join the 38mm Table Tennis Club in Dunedin.
Henderson picked up the game in no time, and was racking up wins in Otago tournaments within a year.
Coached by Martin Duffy, Henderson is enjoying his most successful year.
He won the B grade competition at the national championships in Christchurch in September, was named Otago player of the year, Otago junior of the year and Table Tennis New Zealand's most improved junior of the year.
The year 12 pupil has finished school for the year and is training every day of the week for at least 90 minutes.
He will attend a seven-day camp in Auckland next month with the rest of the 10-strong New Zealand squad.
‘‘He's actually getting better and better now,'' Duffy said.
‘‘His technique is improving all the time. It's quite a big deal getting into the squad because the competition is fierce. Only the top 10 in the country get in, so a lot of good guys miss out.''
Despite returning to contact sport and playing halfback for his school's first XV the past two years, Henderson said table tennis was now his first-choice sport.
After the camp in Auckland next month he will continue to train until May, when the busy part of the year starts.
Five other Otago players - Molly Newell, Ruby Anderson, Isaac Hobbs, Alex Clarkson and Cody Brocks - made the national under-12 squad.
