British athletes to watch Paralympic Games in Paris

The British team for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games includes more than 210 athletes competing in 19 sports.

It features a mix of experienced competitors and some debutants, all looking to impress on the big stage in front of the general public after Tokyo 2020 takes place behind closed doors.

Here we look at some of those hoping to shine in the French capital once the Paralympic Games begin on August 29.

Sophie Hahn – Para-athletics

Since winning her T38 100m title in Tokyo, equalling her own world record, things haven’t always been easy for the 27-year-old from Nottingham.

Hahn suffered a setback at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, losing to British teammate Olivia Breen in the 100m final for the first time since 2014.

The 2023 World Championships in Paris were another tough experience for Hahn, with bronze in both the 100 and 200 metres – although the latter is not a Paralympic event – ​​while she finished with silver as part of the universal relay team.

In Paris she faces a formidable challenge: she will face the reigning world champion Luca Ekler of Hungary and the Colombian duo Darian Jiminez, the 2023 world champion and winner of the silver in Tokyo, and Karen Palomeque, who won silver behind Ekler in Kobe, plus the Greek newcomer Lida Manthopolou.

But an impressive run at the London Diamond League meeting last month in 12.55 seconds – the fastest time in the world this year – showed that Hahn is in good shape and that she will not give up her title without a fight.

T38 100m: Saturday August 31st; 4x100m universal relay: Friday September 6th

William Ellard (para-swimming)

Ellard is one of 16 debutants for the British para swimming team and hopes to make a difference in the S14 category for swimmers with an intellectual disability. He follows in the footsteps of former British swimmer Reece Dunn, who left Tokyo with three gold, silver and bronze medals.

The 18-year-old from Beccles is affiliated with St Felix Swimming Club and has made great strides in recent years.

He made his international debut last year at the Para-Swimming World Championships in Manchester, where he won silver in the 200m freestyle and gold and silver in the relay.

Earlier this year he equalled the world record in the 200m freestyle, held by Dunn, and also tops the 2024 world rankings in the 100m butterfly. He won gold in both events at the Open European Championships in Madeira in April and also showed his versatility with silver in the backstroke and bronze in the medley as he prepares for the individual events and the freestyle relay.

Outside the pool, Ellard is a huge Formula 1 fan and can name all the Formula 1 world champions from 1950-2023.

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

Kadeena Cox (Para-cycling)

After competing in both cycling and athletics at the last two Games, Cox will focus on cycling this time around.

The 33-year-old from Leeds started her sporting career as a sprinter, but a stroke in 2014 left her diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and she embarked on a para-sports career.

At her first Games in Rio, she became the first British woman to win a medal in two sports since 1988 – gold in cycling and athletics – and carried the flag at the closing ceremony.

Between Rio and Tokyo she battled a knee injury, the after-effects of a concussion and the impact of an eating disorder, as well as the pandemic, but she still retained her C4-5 500m time trial crown and was also part of the winning mixed team sprint team, finishing fourth in her event – ​​the T38 400m.

The run-up to Paris was also a challenge, as Cox suffered a relapse of her MS just days after winning gold at the 2023 World Championships in Glasgow. She then tore her calf muscles twice, ending her chances of competing in athletics in Paris. However, she retained her world title in Brazil in March and is looking to make another big splash on the big stage.

Women C4-5 500m: Thursday, August 29; Mixed C1-5 team sprint: Sunday September 1st

Phil Pratt – Wheelchair Basketball

Although the 30-year-old Welshman started his sporting career as a wheelchair tennis player, he has become one of the best players in the world in wheelchair basketball.

Pratt’s first Paralympic experience was at the London 2012 opening ceremony, when he and seven of his British under-23 teammates carried the flag into the stadium.

Two years later he made his debut for the British senior team at the World Championships and has been a key part of the squad ever since, winning bronze at Rio 2016 and captaining the team that won world gold in 2018 and also European gold.

However, several problems on and off the field meant he was unable to apply for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. He said it gave him energy to watch his teammates win bronze at home.

Pratt, who is now based on European and Spanish champion Amiab Albacete, returned to the squad and was a key figure at the 2023 World Championships in Dubai as GB won silver after a last-minute defeat to the USA. He was named in the tournament’s All Star Five.

Men’s Wheelchair Basketball: Thursday August 29 – Saturday September 7

Claire Taggart – Boccia

Taggart hopes to succeed for the third time at her third Games in Paris.

She has already made history, becoming the first athlete from Northern Ireland to compete in the sport when she made her debut in Rio in 2016. She is aiming to become the first woman to win individual gold for ParalympicsGB since 1984 when she competes in the BC2 event.

At the age of 19, she was diagnosed with the neurological disorder dystonia, a condition that causes contractions and spasms of joints and muscles, which forced her to use a wheelchair full-time.

When she discovered boccia, her life changed completely and in 2015 she joined this world-class program.

Since Tokyo, the sport has been split into separate events for men and women. Taggart won the world gold in Rio in 2022 and the European bronze in 2023. He comes to Paris as the world number one and will also be part of the BC1/2 team.

Taggart, now 29, is also an avid music fan and animal lover, owning six tortoises including Gary Lightbody (named after the lead singer of Snow Patrol) and Biffy (named after Scottish rock band Biffy Clyro). She is also the Disability Access Officer for Irish League champions Larne FC.

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

Jonnie Peacock – Para-athletics

Peacock has won a medal at each of the previous three Paralympic Games and is aiming to secure another at the fourth edition.

Millions still remember him as a 19-year-old who silenced the crowd at the London 2012 Olympics before winning the 100 metres T44.

Four years later he retained his title in Rio and in 2017 he added the world title in London. Later that year he appeared on the BBC programme Strictly Come Dancing, where he became the first amputee to take part in the show.

Since then, things haven’t gone smoothly. In Tokyo, he only won a shared bronze medal in the 100 meters, together with the German Johannes Floors. Felix Streng won gold. He did win silver in the universal relay.

There was disappointment at last year’s World Championships in Paris, when he finished only fifth when Italian newcomer Maxcel Amo Manu announced his arrival on the big stage.

Although Peacock was only the sixth fastest on paper in 2024 and is now 31 years old, he is a man who relishes the big event. It would be foolish to rule him out of another medal chance, both in the individual event and the universal relay.

T64 100m: heats Sunday September 1, final Monday September 2; 4x100m universal relay: Friday September 6th

Rachel Choong – Para badminton

Choong had to watch from the sidelines as badminton made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo. Her SH6 category for athletes of small stature was not on the programme.

But her life changed in late 2021 when her participation in Paris was confirmed. Three years and a lot of hard work later as a full-time athlete, the 30-year-old from Liverpool becomes Britain’s first female player at the Games.

Choong, who is of Chinese-Malaysian descent, has been competing internationally since 2008 and made her debut at the 2013 World Championships, winning gold in the women’s singles and mixed doubles. Since then, she has regularly won medals at major championships in both singles and doubles.

She says she has jumped at the chance to become a full-time athlete and train for the Paralympic Games. In Paris, she will be aiming for medals on two fronts as Britain wins its first gold medal in the sport.

In addition to singles, where she is ranked number three in the world, she also has a strong chance in mixed doubles, where she and her partner Jack Shephard are the best pair in the world and have won bronze at the world and European titles in recent years.

A true foodie, Choong spent a lot of time in her grandparents’ Chinese and Asian supermarket as a child and also worked there as a young adult.

SH6 singles and SH6 mixed doubles for women: Thursday August 29 – Monday September 2

Dan Powell – Para-judo

Powell follows a family tradition when he steps onto the judo mat in Paris.

The 33-year-old from Liverpool, who was born visually impaired, was just a child when his father Terry, who is also visually impaired, competed in the 1988 Games in Seoul and the 1996 Games in Atlanta, winning bronze at both events.

He made his Paralympic debut in London 2012, but both he and his brother Marc missed out on medals.

In 2018, he shot to fame when he appeared on the ITV show Ninja Warrior UK and became the first visually impaired person to take part. He said taking part was scarier than competing in London.

After finishing seventh in Tokyo, he took up rowing and made an impression there too, but the attraction of judo proved too great and he decided to focus on that again.

This decision was confirmed by silver in the J1 -90kg competition at the 2022 World Championships in Baku, followed by silver at the 2023 European Championships in Rotterdam. He goes to Paris as third in the world rankings.

Powell is also passionate about giving back to sport and founded the GNR8 Academy in Leicester – a community impact project that helps support local people, break down barriers to exercise and find ways to integrate everyone into the community. He was awarded the Social Impact Award at the PLx Awards hosted by UK Sport earlier this year.

Men -90kg J1: Saturday September 7th