Archie Atkinson, cycling
The 19-year-old world champion in the C4 individual pursuit, Atkinson comes to Paris ready to compete in four events and, in the ultimate act of sporting inflation, “give 2,000,000%” while doing it. Taught how to ride a track bike by Chris Hoy, given career advice in a chance encounter with the double Paralympics gold medallist Ben Watson, the auguries around Atkinson are good. The only downside? A confession that his preferred pre-race meal is a bowl of rice mixed with Biscoff spread.
Bly Twomey, table tennis
An 11-strong table tennis team will be travelling to Paris and claiming her place in short order is the 14-year-old Twomey. Taking up the sport just three years ago she is now ranked fourth in the world in the C7 category for people with cerebral palsy. Training with the multiple medallist Will Bayley, she is a prodigy with a tough mentality. “When I’m on the table I think that if I just keep going I’ll have a chance to win,” she says. “You don’t give up until the last point is done.”
Rachel Choong, badminton
Few athletes have waited as long to make their Paralympic bow or possessed such eminent credentials as Choong, a 10-time world champion. With badminton only added to the Games’ roster in 2020 and her SH6 classification excluded, Choong had to make do with commentating on events in Tokyo. Now Paris is calling for the 30-year-old and she intends to grab the opportunity. “If you are willing to give it everything, hopefully, it will pay dividends,” she says.
Iona Winnifrith, swimming
Another super-young star, this time in the pool, Winnifrith is just 13 but this year won two European titles in the SB7 100m breaststroke and SM7 individual medley. Her prodigious talent saw her win five medals in 2022, her first year of competition, meaning a debut earmarked for the Los Angeles Paralympics in 2028 had to be brought forward.
Eden Rainbow-Cooper, athletics
The 23-year-old is making her Paralympic debut in the T54 classification and she is doing so on the back of unprecedented achievement. In April she became the first British female wheelchair racer to win the Boston marathon, and a week later followed up that result with a sixth-placed finish in London. In short order, she has become one of the leading figures in a highly competitive field.
