2023/24 PARALYMPIC WORLD CLASS PROGRAMME ATHLETES ANNOUNCED

41 athletes have been offered membership to the Paralympic World Class Programme for 2023/24.

The Paralympic WCP is UK Sport’s National Lottery funded initiative supporting the delivery of success at the Paralympic Games and other major Championships. The next major events on the para athletics calendar are Kobe 2024 [World Para Athletics Championships – 17-25 May] and Paris 2024 [Paralympic Games – 30 August-8 September].

A further Paralympic WCP selection meeting will be held in January 2024 to consider marathon road athletes following the Autumn major marathon series.

The Paralympic WCP is split into several levels reflecting the actual and potential performance development levels of athletes: Podium, Podium Potential, and Confirmation. Athletes are nominated for the WCP to further the aim of UK Athletics to win medals at the 2024 and/or 2028 Paralympic Games. UKA are committed to the principle that winning will always be achieved with integrity and in line with UK Sport’s ambition of ‘Keep Winning and Win Well’.

Therefore, UKA must be confident that any athlete nominated for the WCP has the realistic potential and demonstrable performance capability and capacity to make the necessary progress to achieve a medal at least in one of the next two Paralympic Games.

The nomination for WCP membership is subject to UK Sport ratification and a signed athlete agreement between the athlete and UKA.

Head of Paralympic Performance at UKA, Tom Paulson, said,

“With the Paris Paralympic Games less than a year away, this is an important period for the athletes and coaches on the programme, and we look forward to working with them and seeing where the World Class Programme can support them appropriately, and where it can add value to enhance their potential as we look ahead to a Kobe, Paris and beyond to LA 2028.

“We would like to thank UK Sport and the National Lottery for their continued investment in the World Class Programme. Their support is essential to helping our Paralympic athletes continue to be the best prepared they can be for the major Championships and Games.”

The UK Athletics Paralympic WCP Athletes for 2023/24:

Paralympic Podium (20):

Kare Adenegan (Job King, Coventry)

Hollie Arnold (Blackheath and Bromley)

Columba Blango (Chris Zah, Shaftesbury Barnet)

Olivia Breen (Aston Moore, City of Portsmouth)

Jonathan Broom-Edwards (Bethan Partridge, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Hannah Cockroft (Paul Mosely, Leeds)

Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones, Cardiff)

Sabrina Fortune (Ryan Spencer-Jones / Ian Robinson, Deeside AAC)

Dan Greaves (Zane Duquemin, Charnwood)

Sophie Hahn (Leon Baptiste, Charnwood)

Sammi Kinghorn (Rodger Harkins, Red Star)

Maria Lyle (Joe McDonnell, Team East Lothian)

Owen Miller (Steven Doig, Fife)

Jonnie Peacock (Dan Pfaff / Benke Blomkvist, Charnwood)

Daniel Pembroke (David Turner, Windsor Slough Eton & Hounslow)

Ben Sandilands (Steven Doig, Fife)

Zac Shaw (Leon Baptiste, Cleethorpes)

Daniel Sidbury (Christine Parsloe, Sutton & District)

Zak Skinner (Aston Moore, Loughborough Students)

Thomas Young (Joe McDonnell, Charnwood)

Paralympic Podium Potential (14):

Fabienne André

Lydia Church (Mark Edwards, Peterborough & Nene Valley)

Nathan Maguire (Ste Hoskins, Kirkby)

Anna Nicholson (Richard Kaufman, Gateshead)

Luke Nuttall (Sonia and Chris McGeorge, Charnwood)

Derek Rae (Steve Doig, Fife)

Eden Rainbow-Cooper (Arno Mul, Red Velvet Racing Team)

Kevin Santos (Michael Utting, City of Norwich)

Ali Smith (Benke Blomkvist, Guildford and Godalming)

JohnBoy Smith (Christine Parsloe, Sutton & District)

Hannah Taunton (Charlotte Fisher, Taunton)

Harrison Walsh (Ryan Spencer-Jones, Swansea)

David Weir (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy)

Melanie Woods (Rodger Harkins, Red Star)

Paralympic Confirmation (7):

John Bridge (Darrell Maynard, Cardiff)

Barney Corrall (Aston Moore, Charnwood)

Ethan Kirby (Sonya Ellis, Newton Abbot)

Funmi Oduwaiye (Josh Clark, DSW Para Academy)

Emmanuel Oyinbo-Coker (Nat Senior, Newham and Essex Beagles)

Marcus Perrineau-Daley (Jenny Archer, Weir Archer Academy)

Steven Stone (Laurence Bissett, Law & District)