GB on target for Beijing glory

With the 2008 Paralaympic Games in Beijing almost upon us, TeamGB is hoping to improve on the 94 medals brought back from Athens in 2004, when it finished second in the overall medals table behind this year’s hosts, China.

UK Sport is expecting 95 medals this time, with 206 athletes competing in 18 sports, but China is widely tipped to improve on its haul in front of its own supporters, while strong performances are also expected from the USA, Canada, South Africa
and Australia.

Despite GB’s ambitious medal targets, the emphasis is strongly on development, as it looks towards London in 2012.

Mike Brace, president of ParalympicsGB, is aware of the threat of the Chinese squad.

“As competitive standards rise and the dominant Chinese team takes the home advantage, our athletes will face some of their toughest obstacles yet at this summer’s Games.”

It’s in the pool that Britain will again hope to bring home its biggest cache of medals. Our swimmers make up an impressive-looking squad, containing a host of Paralympic medal-winners and world record-holders alongside a clutch of promising youngsters.

Sascha Kindred, Andrew Lindsay and David Roberts are all going for hat-tricks, after winning successive gold medals in Sydney and Athens.

At the age of 45, Jim Anderson will be competing in his fifth Games, having won gold in four events in Athens.

Other names to watch out for are world record-holders Natalie Jones and Sam Hynd.

In athletics, wheelchair-racer David Weir looks set to claim his first Paralympic golds, having won silver and bronze in Athens. The four-time London marathon winner is currently the best wheelchair athlete in the world and has a strong chance of winning all five of his events.

TeamGB features four returning Paralympic athletics champions in Kenny Churchill, Danny Crates, Daniel Greaves and Stephen Miller, but the 2008 Games will be the first since 1984 not to feature Tanni Grey Thompson, who retired in 2007.

The emphasis of the track and field squad is on youth, with seven juniors making their Paralympic debuts, the youngest being 14-year-old Hollie Arnold in the javelin.

World record-holder Ben Rushrove will hope for a strong performance in the sprints, as will rising stars Shelly Woods, Libby Clegg and Ian Jones, who will face South African Oscar Pistorius.

The men’s wheelchair basketball team will aim to improve on its bronze from Athens. It has won silvers in the European Championships and Paralympic World Cup since then but faces stiff competition in its pool from 2004 silver medalists Australia, USA, China, Brazil and Israel. Captain Simon Munn will be competing at his fifth successive Paralympics.

The women’s team qualified by winning bronze at the European Championships but has been drawn alongside the Athens gold and silver medalists USA and Australia and World Championship bronze medalists Germany.

Britain’s cycling hopes centre on former swimmers Sarah Storey (nee Bailey) and Jody Cundy, along with Darren Kenny and Aileen McGlynn. All four are world record-holders.

Big hopes in other sports include Lee Pearson in the dressage, who is hoping for a seventh Paralympic medal; shooting sensation Di Coates, who will be looking to make it eight medals from her seventh Games in the R2 10m air rifle (standing); and Peter Norfolk in the wheelchair tennis.

TeamGB highlights

Some of our medal hopefuls with their classifications and the events they’ll be contesting at the Beijing Paralympics, which will take place from 6 September to 17 September

Athletics

Libby Clegg – T12 – 100m, 200m

Ben Rushmore – T36 – 100m, 200m

Ian Jones – T44 – 200m, 400m

Danny Crates – T46 – 800m

David Weir – T54 – 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m and Marathon

Shelly Woods – T54 – 800m, 1500m, 5000m and Marathon

Stephen Miller – F32 – Club

Kenny Churchill – F37 – Javelin

Daniel Graves – F44 – Discus

Hollie Arnold – F46 – Javelin

Cycling

Aileen McGlynn – B3 – Tandem kilo, Tandem pursuit

Daren Kenny – CP3 – Team spring, Kilo, Pursuit, Road race, Time trial

Sarah Storey – LC1 – 500m Time trial, Pursuit, Time trial

Jody Cundy –LC2 – Team sprint, Kilo

Equestrian

Lee Pearson – lb – Dressage

Shooting

Di Coates – SH1B – R2 10m Air rifle standing

Swimming

Jim Anderson – S2 – 50m, 100m and 200m Freestyle, 50m Backstroke

Natalie Jones – S6 – 50m and 100m Freestyle, 50m Fly, 200m Individual medley

David Roberts – S7 – 50m, 100m and 400m Freestyle

Andrew Lindsay – S7 – 100m Backstroke

Sam Hynd – S8 – 50m, 100m and 300m Freestyle

Sascha Kindred – SM6 – 200m Individual medley

Tennis

Peter Norfolk – Quad Singles, Doubles