WALES’ LONDON 2012 PARALYMPIC HOPEFULS
ARCHERY
PIPPA BRITTON
From:Originally Cowbridge
D.O.B:27/05/1963
Hometown:Newport
Coach: Tim Hazell
Disability:Spina Bifida and scoliosis
Britton underwent major surgery in 2006 and her coach, Tim Hazell, supported her return to full fitness to secure three world records. In fact, just ten days after starting back shooting after her operation, she lifted silver at a European Grand Prix.
Perhaps it is no surprise that her role model is Kelly Holmes – “because she has stuck to her guns through setbacks and injury but in the end all her hard work paid off.”
Her outings at World Championships have proved fruitful. In 2007 and 2009, she helped Great Britain take team gold. At the three previous World Championships, she came away with two individual silvers and a bronze. Although she missed out on a medal after placing fifth in Beijing, she has continued to enjoy success, gaining a silver medal in the European Championships in Vichy, France in 2010. She is currently ranked No.2 in the world so it would seem that a medal might just be in the offing in London.
She can often be found either training at Llantarman Archery Club or the Sport Wales National Centre in Cardiff where she also receives support from the Sport Wales sports science and medicine team.
Her physical training not only consists of shooting but she also swims for general fitness. Her preparation for the podium also includes regular sports psychology sessions as she believes that mental training and visualisation is the key to success.
ATHLETICS
JAMES BALL
From: Ponthir (Torfaen)
DOB: 26 June 1991
Coach: Jane Coia
Event: T13 100m, 200m
Disability:Visual Impairment
James is gearing up to earn selection and book his place at the London Paralympic Games. In 2011, he got a taste of what it’s like to compete on the international stage when he competed at the Paralympic World Cup.He just missed out on the 100m medals in fourth place.
James enjoyed a fruitful 2010, winning 100m silver and 200m bronze at the Paralympic World Cup and double gold at the IWAS European Open. He also clinched gold to claim the title of 2009 Welsh Open senior 100m champion.
James has the visual impairmentAchromatopsia, which results in vision problems in bright light and means he has to wear dark contact lenses to compensate. He also has Nystagmus in one eye, which means he has involuntary movement of the eye and reduced vision.
He would love to teach drumming or work in a recording studio.
ALED SION DAVIES
From:Bridgend, now Cardiff
DOB: 24 May 1991
Coach: Anthony Hughes
Event:F44 Discus & shot putt
Disability: Hemilia of right leg, affecting him from right hip downwards
Twitter:@AledDavies2012
Aled is rapidly becoming one of Britain’s hottest Paralympic prospects. He trains alongside Nathan Stephens under the watchful eye of coach Anthony Hughes. He likes ‘throwing kgs around’ and eating big steaks!
His role models include Nathan and Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson: “Nathan's a bit of a machine. He puts me to shame in the gym. He benches 132kg and generally puts a lot of effort into his sport. When I see the effort he puts into his throws it makes me want to improve. When Tanni used to train with us she was really inspiring.”
Notable performances in 2011 include gold and silver in the shot and discus at the IPC World Athletic Championships in New Zealand. In May, he secured discus bronze at the Paralympic World Cup.
He studies at UWIC in Cardiff. He was not always destined to be involved in athletics as he began his career in the world of swimming. He competed for Bridgend Surf Life Saving Club at age of seven before he made his switch to athletics.
Before competing, Aled likes to listen to rock music to psych himself up.
His talents have been cultivated by the Disability Sport Wales Academy which is designed to ensure that young Welsh disability athletes showing medal potential are provided with the essential starting blocks.
KYRON DUKE
From: Cwmbran
DOB: 12/10/92
Event: F40 Javelin
Kyron impressed at his first senior World Championships which he won bronze at the IPC World Athletics Championships.
It was his first major athletics event but he is no stranger to the spotlight having carved a successful career for himself as a powerlifter - becoming World Champion in October 2009. He also represented Wales at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
"I would love to get to London 2012 and I will be doing all I can to make it there and this has given me a big boost towards that and hopefully I can show people how good I am."
Sporting talent runs in the Duke family. His cousin, Gareth, is a Paralympic swimming medallist.
Kyron is also a graduate of the Disability Sport Wales Academy.
TRACEY HINTON
From:Cardiff
DOB:19 March 1970
Event: T11 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m
Disability:Blind
Tracey - who has competed in five Paralympic Games from Barcelona 1992 through to Beijing 2008 - had cancer of the retina aged four which resulted in her losing her sight.
Her most recent international outing at the IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand brought more success when she won silver in the 400m, bronze in the 200m and finished fourth in the 100m.
The current World Record holder in her class in the 800m, Tracey is considering a return to the half mile event in the countdown to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
In her career, she has racked up six Paralympic medals:
2000 Paralympics: silver (800m), bronzes (200m & 400m)
1992 Paralympics: silvers (200m & 400m), bronze (100m)
DANIEL LUCKER
From: Abergavenny
DOB:12 March 1993
Event:T54 Wheelchair racing (100m up to 1500m)
Coach:Jenny Archer
Twitter:@lightninglucker
Dan is an accomplished wheelchair racer who has won five medals at the World Junior Championships for two years running.
At the 2011 Championships, he claimed gold in the 400m, three silvers in the 200m, 800m and 5000m and bronze in the 100m.
He was forced to withdraw from the 1500m – his best event- as his racing chair suffered a puncture just as he was lining up to race.
Dan has had a hugely successful junior career, winning his age-group category in the London Mini Marathon for five years on the trot.
Dan is another talented graduate of the Disability Sport Wales Academy.
JENNY MCLOUGHLIN
From:Chepstow
DOB:03/10/91
Event:T37 100m, 200m
Coach:Darrell Maynard
Disability:Cerebral palsy
Chepstow talent Jenny Mcloughlin celebrated her birthday in style – she turned 19 on the day of the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Delhi. She went on to win silver in the 100m.
She has already represented Team GB at a Paralympic Games. She was just 16 and finished in her heats of both 100m and 200m.
She is coached by Darrell Maynard and her talents have been cultivated by the Disability Sport Wales Academy which is designed to ensure that young Welsh disability athletes showing medal potential are provided with the essential starting blocks.
Jenny considers Lance Armstrong to be her role model. In her spare time she enjoys horse riding and supports Manchester United FC.
JOSIE PEARSON
From:Abergavenny
DOB:3 Jan 1986
Event:Wheelchair racing
Coach:Peter Eriksson
Discipline:T52 100m, 200m, 400m
Josie Pearson has already competed at a Paralympic Games – but as a wheelchair rugby player. She travelled to Beijingand became the first woman ever to represent GB in the sport at a Paralympics.
But the Abergavenny sportswoman is also a talented wheelchair racer and will be hoping to earn selection for London 2012.
Josie broke her neck in a head on collision five years ago – aged just 17. Her boyfriend, Daniel Evans – aged 19 – died in the crash.
She is coached by Peter Eriksson, UK Athletics’ Paralympic Head Coach. He is one of the world’s most decorated coaches; to date he has coached athletes to win an incredible 119 medals at the Paralympic Games since 1984.
NATHAN STEPHENS
From: Kenfig Hill, Bridgend
Event: F57 javelin and discus
D.O.B: 11/04/1988
Coach:Anthony Hughes
Twitter:@JavelinStephens
Nathan is a clear cut medal contender for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The javelin star missed out on a medal at the Beijing Paralympics in 2008. He made up for this disappointment by winning gold at the Paralympic Athletics World Championships in New Zealand in 2011.
This places him as favourite when the Games roll into London in 2012.
Before committing to athletics, Nathan showed promise in a number of sports. He even travelled to the 2006 Winter Paralympic Games in Turin as part of the GB sledge hockey team.
While his main event is javelin, he also has a chance to qualify in the discus.
It was Nathan’s ninth birthday when he tried to board a freight train which he describes as a ‘bad game of chicken’. His left leg was amputated at the hip and his right was severed above the knee.
CLAIRE WILLIAMS
From:Carmarthen
DOB: 29/09/87
Event:F12 Discus
Claire switched from Jujitsu to athletics at the age of 12 and was Welsh Schools Champion for hammer and discus.
She is the UK record holder in the discus as well as the British champion and has also been junior World record holder. In 2004 she was the youngest Welsh athlete to compete at a Paralympic Games and threw a personal best of 35.26m. In Beijing she repeated her performance from the 2004 Athens Paralympics, placing fifth in the discus.Claire placed sixth in the recent IPC Athletics World Championships in New Zealand.
Outside of athletics she admits there is little time for any other hobbies except supporting the Welsh Rugby team. GB athlete, Kenny Churchill is her partner; and together they have a daughter, Gracie, who was born in October 2007.
Career highlights:
2008 Paralympics: 5th (F12/13 discus)
2008 Paralympic World Cup 10th discus
2004 Paralympics: 5th (F13 discus)
BEVERLEY JONES
From:Queensferry
DOB:17/10/74
Event:F37 Discus/Shot putt
Coach:John Parkin
Beverley has successfully combined sprinting with shot, winning T37 100m and F37 shot golds on successive days at the 2005 European Championships.
She then went on to collect a bronze medal for Wales in the 100m EAD at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne but has recently concentrated more on throwing.
Beverley won GB’s first gold at the 2006 World Champs with a World Record, at the time, of 10.57m in the F37 shot.
This year she won discus silver at the IPC World Athletics Championships.
OWAIN TAYLOR
From: Cwmbran
Event: F57 Javelin, discus and shot
Age: 18
Coach:Anthony Hughes
After suffering a stroke at the age of two, 17-year-old Owain Taylor lost the use of his left lower leg. But the Cwmbran talent has not allowed his disability to get the better of him.
The stroke paralysed Owain from the waist down but he managed to gain most movement back. He was however left with little feeling from his left knee down which he has now lost altogether.
The teenager had another setback when he broke his right foot at 13. He had an operation where pins and screws were put in his left leg to improve things with bone moved from his hip into his left foot to make it stronger.
He trains with the Federation of Disability Sport Wales for the javelin, discus and shot put three times a week and is also training as technical assistant at Able Radio.
His mum Emma Taylor said: “We just can’t believe what he’s done. He’s been an inspiration to a lot of people and we’re so proud of him.”
Owain competed at the 2011 IWAS Junior World Championships in Dubai and despite struggling due to the organisers combining the Under 20 and 23 age groups, he managed to pull off three medals in the F57 class: silver in the Javelin and bronze in both the Shotput and Discus.
At the IWAS Junior World Championships in 2010 in Olomouc, Czech Republic, Owainwon two gold medals.
He is an ex-member of the highly acclaimed Disability Sport Wales Academy programme, having been recently elevated onto the UK Athletics World Class Programme.
BOCCIA
JACOB THOMAS
From: Bethesda, Pembrokeshire
Event: BC3 Class
D.O.B: 17/10/94
Coach:Peter Pearse
Although Jacob could walk as a toddler and young child – and grew to love sport – the muscular dystrophy that progressively weakened his muscles means he is now a permanent wheelchair user.
By chance, Jacob’s learning support officer at school got a copy of the boccia rules and some balls so he could give it a go. That was about eight years ago when Jacob still had the use of his hands. A couple of months later he took part in a competition with some school friends, which they won, before he got involved with the boccia blasters in Cardiff.
He was invited to Sheffield on a GB talent weekend and they advised Jacob to use a ramp rather than throw, meaning going from BC4 class to BC3.
Jacob was Welsh Champion in 2010 and went even better by becoming the 2010 British Champion - beating fellow Welsh player Karl Parish in the final.He is now a member of the GB Elite Boccia squad.
His father Mike is his assistant on court and also runs the Crymych Panthers boccia club, which the family set up. He says, ‘“It’s changed our lives. We’ve been so many places – although you don’t get to see much because you’re so busy with competition. It can be hard work but very rewarding at the same time.”
Jacob attends mainstream Ysgol Y Preseli, juggling schoolwork with his intense training and competition regime and this year took his GCSEs. He hopes to go on to study sport in college.
CYCLING
BRIAN ALLDIS
From:Cardiff, now Bury St Edmunds
DOB:08/07/86
Sport:H3 Hand cycling road races and time trails
Coach:Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson
Disability:Spina bifida and hydrocephalous
Alldis has recently made the switch from wheelchair racing to handcycling. He made the transition after finishing fifth in the 1500m wheelchair race at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
"I made the change because I needed another adventure. In wheelchair racing I got to my peak, made Delhi, made the Paralympics," he explained.
He now hopes that his experiences from the Beijing Paralympics in 2008 will stand him in good stead to make it to the podium in London with his hand-bike:
“All I want is London 2012 gold. I've been to Beijing and got the experience there. I want to go one step further and get a medal, ideally gold. It would be nice at home."
Before switching, he underwent a lab test with British Cycling and his reports came back as among this afternoon.
As a wheelchair racer, he was mentored by Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and competed in events ranging from 100m up to the marathon.
Alldis was born with a spinal condition called spina bifida and hydrocephalous. He has very little muscle in his legs and struggles to walk.
MARK COLBOURNE
From:Tredegar
Age:42
Coach:Neil Smith & Chris Furber
Event:C1 Track & Road
Twitter:@MarkColbourne
Mark is stamping his authority on the world of Para Cycling. The former Sales Consultant is new to the sport. It was only in 2009 that he broke his back in a Paragliding accident at Rhossili beach.
The 42-year-old Welshman linked up with the GB squad last year and since then, he has twice appeared on the podium at World Cup time trial events. The points earned at these event count towards Paralympics qualification.
He will now be a strong contender for a place in the GB squad for the World Road Championships in Denmark from 8-11 September with the team set to be announced next month.
RACHEL MORRIS
From: Milford Haven
Age: 31
Discipline:Road (hand-cycle)
Rachel was spotted as a potential 2012 contender when, after just six months, she had put in so many miles, she had virtually worn down her hand-cycle.
“I used to bomb around on it for ages, but did so many miles I kept breaking it. I’ve always played sport and it was something physical but stopped my legs hurting. I was put onto the Welsh and British Cycling teams,” she said.
She made her Paralympic Games debut in Beijing in 2008, storming to gold in the time trial. She cemented her standing at the top in 2010 at the World Paracycling Road Championships where she secured gold in the road race.
Morris’ talents do not end on the bike – she is also an accomplished sailor and has competed at an international level.
RUSS WHITE
From:Llantwit Major, Vale of Glamorgan
Club:Forza Cycles Racing Team
Event:4km Pursuit, Road Race and Time Trial
Russ’ ambition is to become a World Champion and Paralympic gold medallist. It all started when Russ was a child. He was inspired to take up the sport after watching the Tour de France and the Milk Race.
After he lost his arm in a car accident, he turned to cycling as a form of transport and the rest is history.
When he’s not training or competing, he spends time with his children and grandchildren.
His role models include Chris Hoy and Steve Redgrave.
Notable recent performances include sixth place at the 2010 World Paracycling Road Race Championships.
FOOTBALL (VI)
KERYN SEAL
D.O.B: 28/2/82
From:Bridgend / Now Exeter