World Para Athletics Championships – Ones To Watch

The World Para Athletics Championships start in just a couple days, running from 8th to 17th July in Paris, ahead of the Olympics and Paralympics next summer. British Athletics have selected a strong team with hopes of beating their previous medal total of 28 from the last World Para Athletics Championships in 2019.

Those selected includes not only reining World and Paralympic Champions but also includes 9 athletes making their first senior Great Britain and Northern Ireland debut.

Some of those athletes to watch on the track include Hannah Cockroft in the T34 100m, 800m, and 4x100 universal relay and Thomas Young in the T38 100m.

Over her career Cockroft has built a more than impressive collection of medals and titles, with a total of 11 World Para Championships gold medals, and 7 Paralympic Games gold medals. As reining T34 100m World and Paralympic Champion and 800m Paralympic Champion, Cockroft will be the one to beat.

Young at just 22 years old will be making his second appearance at the World Para Athletics Championships – but hoping to take gold instead of silver in the 100m this year. Having already ran 11.07 this year Young is looking on form to perform well, especially as he ran a Personal Best (PB) at the last World Championships.

Kare Adenegan will also be searching for gold in her events, the T34 100m and 800m. Having first competed in these championships in 2015, Adenegan has won several bronze and silver medals at Worlds and at the Paralympics.

Making his return to the World Para Athletics Championships is Jonnie Peacock. Having not competed at the 2019 Championships Peacock will be looking to take back his title – as he was 2-time T64 100m World and Paralympic Champion previously. This year Peacock has come close to his PB of 10.64 by running 10.79 – we look forward to seeing him back on the world stage once again.

Doubling up in the T38 100m and long jump, Oliva Breen is another one to watch as she is not only the 2017 World T38 Long Jump Champion, but also the reining T38 100m Commonwealth Champion.

The field is not lacking action either, with ones to watch including Jonathan Broom-Edwards and Hollie Arnold.

Broom-Edwards in the reining T64 World and Paralympic High Jump Champion and has jumped higher this year than he did in 2019 to claim the World Champion title.

Arnold is set to compete in the F46 javelin and attempt to retain her title for the 5th consecutive time. Arnold has thrown 38.78m already this year and has a history of performing well on the international stage.

Dan Greaves is also returning to the championships for the 5th time in the F56 Discus. He took his first World Para Championship title in 2002, since then, Greaves has won 3 World Para Championship golds, and medalled at the Paralympics 6 times.

Another thrower aiming to retain their title is Sabrina Fortune in the F20 Shot Put. Fortune has thrown just 10cm short of her PB this year – so is another athlete to keep an eye on this summer.

The full team can be found below:

Women:

Kare Adenegan (Job King, Coventry) – T34 100m and 800m

Fabienne André (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy) – T34 100m and 800m

Hollie Arnold (David Turner, Blackheath and Bromley) – F46 Javelin

Olivia Breen (Aston Moore, City of Portsmouth) – T38 Long Jump and 100m

Lydia Church (Mark Edwards, Peterborough & Nene Valley) – F12 Shot Put

Hannah Cockroft (Paul Moseley, Leeds) – T34 100m, 800m & 4x100m Universal Relay

Sabrina Fortune (Ryan Spencer-Jones / Ian Robinson, Deeside) – F20 Shot Put

Kayleigh Haggo (John Owens, Ayr Seaforth) – T72 100m

Sophie Hahn (Leon Baptiste, Charnwood) – T38 100m, 200m & 4x100m Universal Relay

Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) – T53 100m, 400m, 800m & 4x100m Universal Relay

Maria Lyle (Jamie Bowie, Team East Lothian) – T35 100m & 200m

Anna Nicholson (Richard Kaufman, Gateshead) – F35 Shot Put

Funmi Oduwaiye (Josh Clark, Cardiff & The Vale Schs) – F64 Shot Put and Discus

Eden Rainbow-Cooper (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy) – T54 800m, 1500m & 5000m

Ali Smith (Benke Blomkvist, Guildford & Godalming) – T38 100m, 400m & 4x100m Universal Relay

Hannah Taunton (Charlotte Fisher, Taunton) – T20 1500m

Mel Woods (Rodger Harkins, Red Star) – T54 400m, 800m & 1500m

Men:

Columba Blango (Chris Zah, Shaftesbury Barnet) – T20 400m

Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Bethan Partridge, Newham and Essex Beagles) – T64 High Jump

Steven Bryce (Steven Doig, Victoria Park City of Glasgow) – T20 1500m

Karim Chan (Lukasz Zawila, Charnwood) – T38 Long Jump

Richard Chiassaro (Jenni Banks, Harlow) – T54 400m

Barney Corrall (Aston Moore, Charnwood) – T37 Long Jump

Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones, Cardiff) – F63 Shot Put

David Devine (Tony Clarke, Liverpool) – T13 5000m

Gavin Drysdale (David Phee, Red Star) – T72 100m

Dan Greaves (Zane Duquemin, Charnwood) – F64 Discus

Michael Jenkins (Ryan Spencer-Jones, Pembrokeshire) – F38 Shot Put

Kyle Keyworth (Kes Salmon, Manchester Harriers) – T35 100m & 200m

Nathan Maguire (Ste Hoskins, Kirkby AC) – T54 400m, 800m & 1500m

Owen Miller (Steven Doig, Fife) – T20 1500m

Luke Nuttall (Sonia and Chris McGeorge, Charnwood) – T46 1500m

Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker (Nat Senior, Newham & Essex Beagles) – T47 100m & 4x100m Universal Relay

Jonnie Peacock (Dan Pfaff / Benke Blomkvist, Charnwood) – T64 100m & 4x100m Universal Relay

Dan Pembroke (David Turner, Windsor Slough Eton and Hounslow) – F13 Javelin

Marcus Perrineau-Daley (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy) – T52 100m

Ben Sandilands (Steven Doig, Fife) – T20 1500m

Kevin Santos (Mike Utting, City of Norwich) – T47 100m

Zac Shaw (Leon Baptiste, Cleethorpes) – T12 100m & 4x100m Universal Relay

Daniel Sidbury (Chris Parsloe, Sutton & District) – T54 400m, 800m, 1500m & 5000m

Luke Sinnott (Roger Keller, Bournemouth) – T63 Long Jump

Zak Skinner (Aston Moore, Loughborough Students) – T13 Long Jump

Rafi Solaiman (Phil Fleetwood, Charnwood) – T72 100m

Harrison Walsh (Nathan Stephens, Swansea) – F64 Discus

Thomas Young (Joe McDonnell, Charnwood) – T38 100m