GB athletes to follow in Paris Paralympics

The Great Britain squad for nan 2024 Paris Paralympics will characteristic much than 210 athletes competing crossed 19 sports.

It includes a operation of knowledgeable campaigners, arsenic good arsenic immoderate Games debutants pinch each aiming to impressment connected nan large shape successful beforehand of crowds aft Tokyo 2020 was held down closed doors.

Here, we look astatine immoderate of those hoping to radiance successful nan French superior erstwhile nan Paralympics statesman connected 29 August.

Since retaining her T38 100m title successful Tokyo, equalling her ain world grounds successful nan process, things person not been plain sailing for nan 27-year-old from Nottingham.

Hahn suffered a setback astatine nan 2022 Commonwealth Games successful Birmingham, losing retired to GB team-mate Olivia Breen for her first awesome title 100m last conclusion since 2014.

The 2023 Worlds successful Paris were different reliable acquisition for Hahn pinch bronze successful some nan 100m and 200m – though nan second is not a Paralympic arena – while she vanished pinch a metallic arsenic portion of nan cosmopolitan relay team.

She faces a formidable situation successful Paris against existent world champion Luca Ekler of Hungary and Colombian brace Darian Jiminez, nan 2023 world champion and Tokyo metallic medallist, and Karen Palomeque, who won metallic down Ekler successful Kobe, positive Greek newcomer Lida Manthopolou.

But an awesome tally astatine nan London Diamond League gathering past period successful 12.55 seconds – nan fastest clip successful nan world this twelvemonth – shows that Hahn is successful bully shape and she will not springiness up her title without a fight.

T38 100m: Saturday, 31 August; 4x100m cosmopolitan relay: Friday, 6 September

One of 16 debutants connected nan British Para-swimming team, Ellard is hoping to make an effect successful nan S14 class for swimmers pinch intelligence impairments and travel erstwhile GB swimmer Reece Dunn who came distant from Tokyo pinch 3 golds, a metallic and a bronze.

The 18-year-old from Beccles is based astatine St Felix Swimming Club and has made large strides complete nan past mates of years.

He made his awesome world debut astatine past year’s Para-swimming Worlds successful Manchester, taking metallic successful nan 200m freestyle and winning golden and metallic medals successful nan relays.

Earlier this twelvemonth he equalled nan 200m freestyle world record, held by Dunn, and besides tops nan 2024 100m butterfly world rankings. He claimed golden successful some events astatine nan Open European Championships successful Madeira successful April and besides showed his versatility pinch backstroke metallic and medley bronze arsenic he prepares for individual events and nan freestyle relay.

Away from nan pool, Ellard is simply a large Formula 1 instrumentality and tin sanction each F1 world champion from 1950-2023.

S14 butterfly: Thursday, 29 August; S14 200m freestyle: Saturday, 31 August; S14 Mixed 4x100m freestyle relay: Sunday, 1 September; SM14 200m medley: Wednesday, 4 September; S14 100m backstroke: Friday, 6 September

After competing successful some cycling and athletics astatine nan past 2 Games, Cox will beryllium focusing connected nan motorcycle this clip around.

The 33-year-old from Leeds started her sporting profession arsenic a sprinter earlier a changeable successful 2014 led to her being diagnosed pinch aggregate sclerosis and starting connected her Para-sport career.

At her first Games successful Rio, she became nan first Briton to triumph a badge successful 2 sports since 1988 pinch golden successful cycling and athletics and was nan flagbearer astatine nan closing ceremony.

Between Rio and Tokyo, she had to woody pinch a knee injury, nan after-effects of concussion and nan effect of disordered eating arsenic good arsenic nan pandemic, but still retained her C4-5 500m clip proceedings crown and was besides portion of nan victorious mixed squad sprint squad. She vanished 4th successful her athletics arena - nan T38 400m.

The build-up to Paris has besides been challenging pinch Cox having a relapse of her MS conscionable days aft winning golden astatine nan 2023 World Championships successful Glasgow and past sustaining 2 calf musculus tears which ended her chances of competing successful athletics successful Paris, though she did clasp her world title successful Brazil successful March and will want to impressment again connected nan large stage.

Women’s C4-5 500m: Thursday, 29 August; Mixed C1-5 squad sprint: Sunday, 1 September

Although nan 30-year-old Welshman started his sporting profession arsenic a wheelchair tennis player, it is wheelchair hoops wherever he has go 1 of nan champion players successful nan world.

Pratt’s first Paralympic acquisition came astatine nan London 2012 opening ceremonial erstwhile he and 7 of his GB Under-23 team-mates carried nan emblem into nan stadium.

Two years later he made his GB elder debut astatine nan World Championships and has been an integral portion of nan squad since then, winning bronze astatine Rio 2016 and captaining nan squad to world golden successful 2018 and besides winning European gold.

However, various connected and off-court issues led him to opt retired of action for nan Tokyo Paralympics and he said that watching from location arsenic his team-mates won bronze helped fuelled him connected for Paris.

Now based pinch European and Spanish champions Amiab Albacete, Pratt returned to nan squad and astatine nan World Championships, which were played successful Dubai successful 2023, was a cardinal fig arsenic GB won metallic aft a last-gasp nonaccomplishment to nan USA. He was named successful nan tournament’s All Star Five.

Men’s wheelchair basketball: Thursday, 29 August-Saturday, 7 September

Taggart will beryllium hoping to make it 3rd clip fortunate astatine her 3rd Games successful Paris.

Already a history-maker, she was nan first jock from Northern Ireland to compete successful nan athletics erstwhile she made her debut successful Rio successful 2016 and will beryllium aiming to go nan first female to triumph individual golden for ParalympicsGB since 1984 erstwhile she competes successful nan BC2 event.

Aged 19, she was diagnosed pinch nan neurological information dystonia which leads to associated and musculus contractions and spasms and became a full-time wheelchair user.

Finding boccia changed her life wholly and she joined nan world people programme successful 2015.

Since Tokyo, nan athletics has separated nan class into abstracted men’s and women’s events and Taggart secured world golden successful Rio successful 2022 and European bronze successful 2023 and comes to Paris arsenic world number 1 and will besides beryllium portion of nan BC1/2 team.

Taggart, now 29, is besides a keen euphony instrumentality and an animal person pinch six tortoises including Gary Lightbody (named aft nan lead vocalist of Snow Patrol) and Biffy (named aft Scottish stone set Biffy Clyro). She is besides disablement entree serviceman for Irish League champions Larne FC.

Women’s BC2: Thursday, 29 August-Sunday, 1 September; BC1/2 team: Tuesday, 3-Thursday, 5 September

Peacock has won a badge astatine each of this 3 erstwhile Paralympic Games and will want to unafraid different astatine his fourth.

Millions of group retrieve him arsenic a 19-year-old shushing nan crowd astatine London 2012 earlier he stormed to triumph successful nan T44 100m.

Four years later he retained his title successful Rio and past added nan 2017 world title successful London earlier a stint connected nan BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing later that year, wherever he was nan first amputee to return portion successful nan show.

Things person not tally smoothly since and successful Tokyo, he could only triumph associated bronze successful nan 100m alongside Germany’s Johannes Floors arsenic Felix Streng took gold, though he did return metallic successful nan cosmopolitan relay.

There was disappointment astatine past year’s World Championships successful Paris wherever he could only decorativeness 5th arsenic Italian newcomer Maxcel Amo Manu announced his presence connected nan large stage.

Despite only being sixth fastest connected insubstantial successful 2024 and now aged 31, Peacock is simply a man who revels successful nan large juncture and it would beryllium foolish to norm him retired of different badge situation some successful nan individual arena and nan cosmopolitan relay.

T64 100m: heats Sunday, 1 September, last Monday, 2 September; 4x100m cosmopolitan relay: Friday, 6 September

Choong had to watch from nan sidelines arsenic badminton made its Paralympic debut successful Tokyo pinch her SH6 class for short stature athletes not portion of nan inaugural programme.

But her life changed successful precocious 2021 erstwhile it was confirmed for Paris and 3 years and a batch of difficult activity later arsenic a full-time athlete, nan 30-year-old from Liverpool will go GB’s first female subordinate astatine a Games.

Choong, who has a Chinese-Malaysian background, has been competing internationally since 2008 and made her World Championship debut successful 2013, winning golden successful nan women’s singles and mixed doubles. She has gone connected to regularly accrue awesome title singles and doubles medals since then.

The chance to go a full-time jock and train for a Paralympics was an opportunity she says she had to drawback pinch some hands and she will pursuit medals connected 2 fronts successful Paris arsenic GB activity a first golden successful nan sport.

As good arsenic nan singles, wherever she is world number three, she has a beardown chance successful nan mixed doubles wherever her and partner Jack Shephard are nan apical brace successful nan world and person won world bronze and European complete nan past mates of years.

A self-confessed foodie, Choong spent galore puerility hours successful her grandparents’ Chinese and Asian Supermarket and besides worked location arsenic a young adult.

Women’s SH6 singles and SH6 mixed doubles: Thursday, 29 August-Monday, 2 September

Powell is pursuing successful a family contented erstwhile he takes to nan judo mat successful Paris.

The 33-year-old from Liverpool, who was calved pinch a ocular impairment, was conscionable a kid erstwhile his begetter Terry, who is besides visually impaired, took portion successful nan 1988 Games successful Seoul and nan 1996 Games successful Atlanta, winning bronze successful both.

He made his Paralympic debut astatine London 2012 but some he and his relative Marc missed retired connected medals.

In 2018 he changeable to fame erstwhile he appeared connected nan ITV show Ninja Warrior UK, becoming nan first personification pinch a ocular impairment to return portion – he said that taking portion was scarier than competing successful London.

After finishing seventh successful Tokyo, he took up rowing, impressing location too, but nan lure of judo proved excessively beardown and he made nan determination to ore his efforts connected it again.

The determination has been vindicated pinch metallic successful his J1 -90kg arena astatine nan 2022 World Championships successful Baku followed by metallic successful nan 2023 European Championships successful Rotterdam and he goes to Paris classed 3rd successful nan world.

Powell is besides passionate astir giving backmost to nan athletics and group up nan GNR8 Academy successful Leicester – a organization effect task which helps to support nan section people, break down nan barriers to beingness workout and find ways to merge everyone into nan community. He was rewarded earlier this twelvemonth pinch nan Social Impact Award astatine nan PLx Awards hosted by UK Sport.

Men’s -90kg J1: Saturday, 7 September