Rio 2016 Paralympics: Great Britain's Paralympians eye gold as they aim to top London 2012 medal haul

Seeking glory: Ellie Simmonds
(Ben Duffy/adidas/Handout/Getty Images)
Kiran Randhawa7 September 2016

Great Britain's top Paralympians today told how they are going for gold as they bid to make Rio 2016 the country’s most successful ever Games.

Speaking ahead of tonight’s Paralympics opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana Stadium, the athletes told the Standard they are ready to make history.

The team’s most decorated athlete, Dame Sarah Storey, said she is confident of winning medals in all of her four cycling events.

The 38-year-old, who has won 11 gold, eight silver and three bronze medals in swimming and cycling since making her Games debut at Barcelona 1992, said: “I’m really looking forward to competing in my seventh Paralympic Games. Even though I’ve been through the experience of a Paralympics so many times before it’s still just as exciting now as it was when I first competed.

“My training has been going really well and I feel like I’m in great shape to be in contention for medals in all of my events. I can’t wait to get started.”

Swimmer Ellie Simmonds, who at the age of 21 already has four gold medals under her belt, said: “Everyone is just so excited and can’t wait to compete. It’s going to nerve-wracking, it’s going to be emotional, but most of all, it’s going to be an amazing experience.

“All the early mornings at the pool, all those tough days of training, all those sore legs and aching muscles, well, it comes down to this. And I can’t wait.”

Double gold medallist Hannah Cockroft, 24, who is competing in three events in the wheelchair racing, said: “Three golds is always going to be the aim, I would never go there expecting anything less of myself.”

Wheelchair tennis star, Jordanne Whiley, added: “If I could give up my nine Grand Slam titles for a gold medal, I would. I’ve won eight [doubles] Grand Slams and a calendar Grand Slam. I’ve won a singles Slam. I’ve done all the things I’ve wanted to do, but I haven’t got a gold medal. It’s the only thing missing in my career.”

UK Sport has given a target of 121 medals, one more than Great Britain managed at London 2012 when the team finished third - with 34 golds - behind China and Russia.

Hopes are high they can surpass London 2012’s medal tally, particularly as Russia is not taking part due to a blanket ban over the doping scandal.

ParalympicGB have never finished outside the top five in the medal table.

A total of 264 athletes are representing Britain and taking part in 19 of the 22 Paralympic sports at the games.

Table tennis player Will Bayley said; “I’ve got everything to gain and nothing to lose in Rio. I’ve never won the gold, but I feel like this is a massive opportunity. It’s not like I’m scared or fearful. I’m ready. I’ve been training hard and am ready to perform.”

Swimmer Hannah Russell, 20, whose first Paralympics was the London 2012 Games, said: “Going forward another four years I feel physically and mentally stronger. This time around I have set myself high standards. Going into Rio I am feeling really confident and I’m looking forward to seeing what I can do.”

Julie Rogers, 17, who is competing in the sitting volleyball, added: “I’m really excited here at Paralympics GB preparation camp in Belo Horizonte, it’s now all about fine tuning in training ahead of my races in Rio. I can’t wait to get into the village ready to race.”

Approximately half of the team will be competing at their first Games, while 72 per cent will attend their first away Games.

Among those making their Paralympics debut are canoeist Rob Oliver and wheelchair racer Ben Rowlings.

Oliver, 28, said: “My aim and goal is to come back with a medal, I can achieve it, I can achieve gold. If I was on the podium in any position I’d be over the moon.”

Rowlings, 20, added: “Having dreamt about being an athlete since I was about four-years-old, I’m really excited to be at my first Paralympic Games.”

The track, cycling and swimming events all begin tomorrow. Among those making their Rio debut is gold medal sprinter Jonnie Peacock, 23, who will be defending his title in the T44 100m.

Six-time gold medallist David Weir is looking to add five more golds to his haul in Rio. The 37-year-old wheelchair athlete makes his debut on the track on Sunday in the T54 400m.

* The Paralympics start today and run until Sunday September 18. The opening ceremony will kick-start the Games at 9.30pm UK time live from the Maracana Stadium.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT