BPA select 36 athletes from four different sports for London 2012
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Eleanor Simmonds
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BPA 11 April 2012
The BPA has this week announced a further 36 athletes for selection to ParalympicsGB for London 2012 in the sports of Swimming, Boccia, Judo and Powerlifting.
The 16 swimmers include double Paralympic gold medallist Ellie Simmonds, husband and wife Sascha and Nyree Kindred and two pairs of siblings, Oliver and Sam Hynd and James and Emma Hollis.
British Swimming's National Performance Director John Atkinson said: “I am really pleased to see a strong squad of athletes set to represent ParalympicsGB at this year’s home Games. We have a great mix of youth and experience within this group and with 45% of the athletes preparing to take part in their first Games, I am sure our experienced athletes will help them settle into the routine of a Paralympic Games.
“We will have the chance to get together as a team in Majorca to get some excellent training under their belts before the final stages of preparation begin. I am excited as we move into the next phase in our Paralympic cycle and I will be looking for the athletes to improve on their performances between now and the Games.”
The athletes selected in Judo include the Ingram and Powell brothers. Sam Ingram won Paralympic bronze in Beijing which spurred on his brother Joe to return to the sport. Meanwhile Dan and Marc Powell are both selected for their first Games, but are no strangers to the Paralympics as their father Terry Powell competed in both Seoul and Atlanta. The squad is completed by Ben Quilter, current European and World Champion in the -60kg category.
Dave Sanders, Team Leader for British Judo congratulated his team of selected players today, saying: “All players have worked tremendously hard to gain selection to London 2012 and have amassed a fantastic haul of medals on the World and European stage during the qualification period. The results at these major events are real indicator of the potential of the team to succeed in London. I am really proud to be involved with such a professional team and thankful to have an excellent Paralympic Performance Coach, Jean-Paul Bell, working so closely with the team on a daily basis, underpinned by a highly effective support team – all of whom play a large part in the overall success of the team.”
The Boccia brothers of Peter and Stephen Macguire will compete in the BC3 and BC4 event and are part of a nine strong squad that includes reigning Paralympic gold medallists in the BC1/BC2 Team event Nigel Murray, David Smith, Dan Bentley and Zoe Robinson.
Since 2008, GB Boccia have focused on consolidating strong performances in Beijing in the BC1 and BC2 categories while also extending the squad to include top BC3 and BC4 athletes. BC4 is for athletes that have impairments other than cerebral palsy and BC3 is for athletes who use a ramp to play the sport.
Part of this recruitment has been done through the joint UK Sport and British Paralympic Association talent search, Paralympic Potential, which was launched in 2009 and identified Jessica Hunter and Jacob Thomas, who both then went through the GB Boccia Fast Track programme.
Matt Hammond, Team Leader for GB Boccia, said: “GB Boccia is very confident that the selected athletes will do ParalympicsGB proud in London. With GB ranked in the World top three in five of the seven events and with rapidly developing athletes in the BC3 class we should be competitive across the board. We have a great mix of experienced athletes including two time gold medallist Nigel Murray and exciting new athletes who are having a big impact on the World stage.”
In Powerlifting, the six strong squad includes world record holder Anthony Peddle, who is selected for his seventh Paralympic Games.
Fiona Lothian, Team Leader for British Weightlifting, said: “We are delighted that all four athletes who represented Great Britain in Beijing have qualified for London 2012 in addition to one or two new athletes. Our experience of the BPA preparation camps has convinced us that this will be the best place to put the finishing touches to our Games preparation. With the home crowd behind us I am convinced we can build on our recent performances to deliver good results in London.”
ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Craig Hunter said “I am delighted to welcome these athletes to ParalympicsGB. It is the culmination of hard work and dedication on their part. From ParalympicsGB’s perspective the selection of many of these athletes is also testament to the success of BPA programmes such as our annual simulation preparation camp, our Paralympic Potential days and our Talent Transition Programme over the last four years.
“I am particularly excited because today’s selection of athletes means that we have now selected almost a third of ParalympicsGB for London, so it really feels like the team is starting to come together.”
For more information on the athletes selected to represent ParalympicsGB at the London 2012 Paralympics Games you can visit the ParalympicsGB website.
UK Sport is investing more than £48 million of National Lottery, Exchequer and Team 2012 funding into Britain’s Paralympic sports and athletes in preparation for London 2012. Find out more about UK Sport’s investment in British Olympic and Paralympic success.
