The British Paralympic Association have announced 41 athletes for Rio’s track and field events.
Fresh from the IPC Athletics Grand Prix Final and Muller Anniversary Games, some of the chosen athletes are revelling in new world records as well as a place on the Paralympics team.
Gold medallist Jonnie Peacock [London 2012] and medallist Libby Clegg [Beijing 2008, London 2012] are two of the 21 previous Paralympians returning to the squad. Stephen Miller is the most experienced in the line-up and is ready to rack up his sixth Paralympics in a row.
FOUR more #ScotsOnParaGB – congrats @LibbyClegg @Sam_Kinghorn @StefApril & Derek Rae! https://t.co/B6WTLa3erZ pic.twitter.com/BpoTaESUPC
— Team Scotland (@Team_Scotland) July 26, 2016
Despite missing a number of major competitions reently through illness, Libby Clegg is raring to go for her third Paras. She was reclassified as a T11 sprinter in 2016 and set the world record at the IPC Athletics Grand Prix.
Libby said : “I’m delighted to be selected for my third Paralympic Games. It’s been a whirlwind of a journey since London after a number of injuries but it’s great to come through the other side and be a part of a really strong ParalympicsGB team heading out to Rio.
“Having changed classification recently, Saturday’s performance in London was beyond our wildest expectations. However, we are now focused to getting amongst the medals and we can’t wait to get going.”
New additions to the squad include teenager Kare Adenegan, sprinter Laura Sugar and David Henson, a former serviceman who was injured in Afghanistan.
Henson said:
“It’s always an honour to represent your country and I’m so proud that I will be making my Paralympic debut in Rio. This is the real pinnacle of our sport and a huge amount of hard work has gone on behind the scenes day in and day out to make this happen. I can’t wait to go out and compete in Brazil and give a lifetime-best performance on the track.”
We're The Superhumans | Rio Paralympics 2016 Trailer https://t.co/UP6c2ttYrD @YouTube aracılığıyla
— Harun Gültekin (@benarunn) July 26, 2016
Penny Briscoe MBE, Chef de Mission for ParalympicsGB, said:
“This is a formidable line-up and I’m really excited to welcome these athletes to the team today. With a mix of experienced names and new faces, we can look forward to some really exciting performances in Rio and more memorable moments from our track and field athletes.
“This is set to be the most competitive Paralympics ever but I know there is serious medal potential here and it pays testament to the hard work of Paula Dunn and her team at British Athletics. I’d like to wish the athletes all the very best with their final preparations for the Games.
A full list of selected athletes can be found on the British Athletics website
