DEFEND YOUR PARALYMPIC TITLE
RW finds GB wheelchair rugby in rude health ahead of the Paris Games
THREE YEARS ago, Great Britain’s Covid-delayed, gold medal-winning campaign in Tokyo – their first Paralympics medal in the sport – sparked joyous scenes, their sense of achievement heightened by the sacrifices they had made amid savage funding cuts after the Rio 2016 Games. Forward-wind and there is a serenity about GBWR that bodes well for the Paris Games that start on 28 August. That’s in part down to a squad that features proven, experienced athletes like Aaron Phipps and Jonny Coggan, both survivors from London 2012, along with Ryan Cowling and Stuart Robinson. “We’re very fortunate that we’ve got people like Aaron and Jonny and Ryan. Stu and Gavin (Walker) are the captains,” says GB coach Paul Shaw. “These are people who have experienced it all and can pass that on to the newer players, which is exciting for them. I know from when I was a player, you look up to the players who have been there and done it, and you learn a lot from them. Age is just a number and in Paralympic sport especially if you’re good enough you can still compete at quite an advanced age.” Jim Roberts is now pursuing a career in architecture while Kylie Grimes has also retired, but there is no shortage of talent ready to fill the breach. Faye West of West Country Hawks moved up from the talent group in January. Kieran Flynn (Leicester) has come to the fore in the last two years while Dave Ross (London) has matured significantly since being a “very green” squad member in 2017. “It’s not just for Paris, it’s also about beyond that. Yes, we’re all excited by these players. Will all of them go to Paris? Potentially not because we’ve got 15 players so three have to lose out. But they are exciting players and if they don’t make Paris they’re definitely in the frame going into the LA cycle.” The new faces have joined a programme that is properly funded. After coming fifth in Rio, GBWR lost all of its £3m funding from UK Sport and had to crowdfund its cycle up to Tokyo.
“At the time they were very clear, it was medals or go home kind of thing,” says Jason Brisbane, GBWR’s chief executive. “But the new regime (at UK Sport) is looking at the sport as a whole, not just at the key moments, to decide whether the sport deserves funding. “What trajectory is the sport on? How does the grass roots feed in? There’s so many levers that impact. We’re in a much better place now. There’s still the expectation to succeed but just because you don’t medal, you’re not going to be wiped off the face of the earth.”
To help future-proof the sport, GBWR have launched ‘28 for 28’, an initiative aimed at finding 28
