Six More British Athletes to Watch at London 2012

Channel 4 presenters Ade Adeptian and Rick Edwards reveal six more British athletes to watch at London 2012 31 Aug 2011

Great Britain's Ellie Simmonds is expected to make a splash at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

By IPC

All six athletes are featured in the latest edition of The Paralympian, the official magazine of the IPC.

After Channel 4 television presenters Ade Adepitan and Rick Edwards revealed their six British athletes to watch at the London 2012 Paralympic Games yesterday, below are six more athletes from the host country who could dominate the international event next summer.

All six are featured in the latest edition of The Paralympian, the official magazine of the International Paralympic Committee, which released a special “One Year to Go” edition this month.

David Weir (Athletics)

On his home territory, the 32-year-old multi-World and Paralympic champion and five-time London marathon winner will be the man to beat. The T54 wheelchair racing class is arguably the most competitive in Paralympic Sport, so expect thrilling races between hometown hero Weir and Switzerland’s Marcel Hug and Australia’s Kurt Fearnley. After winning three golds at the 2011 IPC Athletics World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, Weir is bound to be in top form for London 2012.

Ellie Simmonds (Swimming)

After winning two golds at the Beijing 2008 Games at just 13, Simmonds has gotten even stronger in the pool. She is now a four-time World champion, holds five World records, was appointed a Member of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2009 and is one of the most recognizable faces in British sports. She will be Great Britain’s top dog in the pool at London 2012.

Danielle Brown (Shooting)

The 23-year-old Beijing gold medallist in Women’s individual compound open archery followed up her success with team compound gold as part of the able-bodied English team at last year’s Commonwealth Games. Expect the “That Paralympic Show” favourite to be on target for gold in London, especially after grabbing a gold and two silvers at the Para-Archery World Championships in Italy this summer.

Deanna Coates (Shooting)

For a winner of eight Paralympic shooting medals, including three golds, London 2012 will be Coates’ eighth Paralympic Games at 58. She will have competed in every Paralympic Games since 1984. Her experience will be invaluable to the rest of the British team, especially as a hometown favourite.

Nigel Murray (Boccia)

A winner of team gold and individual silver at the Beijing 2008 Games, Murray who is now ranked the world’s No. 1 in the BC2 class for Boccia, will be aiming to repeat his individual gold-medal winning success from the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games. He has played the sport competitively for 13 years now, so perhaps nobody at London 2012 will be more experienced than the British veteran.

Tom Aggar (Rowing)

The former rugby player took up rowing in 2006 to keep fit and has dominated the scene since, winning gold at the Beijing 2008 Games in the ASM single-scull boat class. He finished first at both the 2009 and 2010 World Championships, and at 27 years old, he’s just entering the prime of his career heading into London 2012.