Thirteen's their lucky number today as ParalympicsGB announced the first wave of track and field athletes who will compete for ParalympicsGB in Rio.
Aled Davies, gold medallist at London 2012, is joined by fellow World champion Hollie Arnold in the team.
Aled Davies, winner of the men’s F42 discus throw and shot put at the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships, said: “London 2012 was the start of my journey in the sport and to have won two medals at the Games was a dream come true. The Paralympic Games is the pinnacle of the sport, so to be selected once again is a huge achievement for me.
"I will be leaving no stone unturned to ensure I’m in the best possible shape come September.”Aled Davies
“Since London, I’ve managed to secure successive world and European titles along with world records, but I do not have the Paralympic shot put title. To win that medal will be that missing piece in the jigsaw and I will be leaving no stone unturned to ensure I’m in the best possible shape come September.”
Penny Briscoe, Chef de Mission of ParalympicsGB, said: “With 76 days to go, I’m delighted to announce the first athletes that will represent ParalympicsGB in track and field and it’s brilliant to know that there’s more to come from this sport when we add more names to the team-sheet in a few weeks’ time.
“It’s really special to know that there will be a strong mix of experience and fresh talent taking to the stage at Rio 2016 and it pays credit to the team at British Athletics who have established a world-leading programme with the power to contest for medals across a wide range of events.”
Paula Dunn, Team Leader for para-athletics and Head Coach of the Paralympic Programme at British Athletics, said: “It’s really exciting to be in a position to announce the first group of athletes for the Paralympic Games. Rio has been the main focus for athletes since London 2012 and they have consistently shown that they are ready to take on the world’s best in September.
“Last year in Doha we secured our largest haul of medals since 1998, which highlights the strength in depth across the whole spectrum of events. Those performances combined with a record-breaking showing at the recent IPC Athletics European Championships will see us go into the Games full of confidence.”
Today’s announcement takes the number of selected athletes to 161 from 13 sports. A further announcement will take place in late July to confirm the remaining places on the team for track and field.
