First group of athletes selected for Paralympics GB or Team GB. 9 August 2011

With just over a year to go to the Opening Ceremony of the Paralympic Games, the British Paralympic Association (BPA) have announced Stephen Thomas in the first selection of athletes to represent Great Britain at London 2012.

Stephen is one of five named members of the British team to achieve selection and the first Welsh athlete to be officially selected for either ParalympicsGB or Team GB.

The five athletes who will compete in the British team in sailing are:

John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas – Sonar (three-person keelboat event)
Alexandra Rickham and Niki Birrell – SKUD 18 (two-person keelboat event)

Stephen Park, Olympic Manager at the Royal Yachting Association, said: “Over the past three years we’ve been trying hard to move our sailors forward from being medal possibles to medal probables, These two selected teams have managed to deliver consistent medal-winning performances that gave the RYA’s Paralympic Selection Committee great confidence in their early nomination.”

Chief Executive of the BPA, Tim Hollingsworth, said:  “This is a very exciting moment in the build-up to London: the selection of the first athletes who will represent this country in 2012 really brings it home that the Games are just around the corner.

“I am delighted that the first athletes to achieve this honour are being selected to ParalympicsGB. They have worked very hard over many years to achieve this. I hope the nation will join me in congratulating them now and supporting them in a year’s time on the water at Weymouth and Portland.”

Stephen Thomas said:

“It’s fantastic to be representing Great Britain for another Games and it’s great to be selected early.  We’ll enjoy the moment, but for us, it’s all part of the process and our big focus needs to be on making the boat go faster over the 12 months.

“We’ve not yet won a Paralympic medal and for the last few years we’ve not managed to win a gold at the World Championships, so we’ll have that in the locker and will be using that as motivation to strive for gold next year.

“When I think about the possibility of winning a medal at next year’s Games and the thought of standing on the podium, it brings a tear to my eye.  For it to have that kind of emotional response just shows how much it means to me, and that’s why we’ll be giving it everything we’ve got to try and make that a dream a reality next year.”