Great Britain competed at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London, United Kingdom, from 29 August to 9 September 2012 as the host nation. A total of 288 athletes were selected to compete along with 13 other team members such as sighted guides. The country finished third in the medals table, behind China and Russia, winning 120 medals in total; 34 gold, 43 silver and 43 bronze. Multiple medallists included cyclist Sarah Storey and wheelchair athlete David Weir, who won four gold medals each, and swimmer Stephanie Millward who won a total of five medals. Storey also became the British athlete with the most overall medals, 22, and equal-most gold medals, 11, in Paralympic Games history.
To commemorate the achievements of each gold medallist at the 2012 Paralympics and Olympics, Royal Mailpainted a post box gold, usually in the athlete's home town.
Each gold medallist had a post box painted gold by Royal Mail in recognition of their achievement, usually located in their home-town.[7] A first class stamp depicting each gold medal-winning individual or team was also produced.[7][8]
The following British competitors won medals at the Games.[9] In the 'by discipline' sections below, medallists' names are in bold.
UK Sport, the body responsible for the distribution of National Lottery funding to elite sport, set the British team a target of winning 103 medals across at least 12 different sports. The target was one medal more than the team had won at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing. Additionally UK Sport wanted the team to maintain its second-place finish in the medal table from Beijing.[10]
On 9 September 2011, Great Britain secured seven places at the Stoke Mandeville International, in addition to the six that they already had.[11] Twenty British archers took part in a two-stage selection process to determine the final squad of thirteen.[1]
In the women's individual compound open category, Danielle Brown defeated Mel Clarke with the final arrow of the match in an all-British final to retain the title she won in 2008.[12] No other British archers advanced past the quarter-finals in the individual events, despite Kenny Allen setting a new Paralympic record in the ranking rounds of the men's individual recurve standing event.[13] The men's team finished in fourth place after reaching the bronze medal final where they lost to China.[14]
Nine British boccia players were selected to compete in London, five of whom made their Paralympic debuts.[1] In the individual events, David Smith won silver in the BC1 event after losing to Pattaya Tadtong of Thailand in the final.[17] The 2008 gold medal-winning BC1-2 team lost to Thailand in the semi-finals[18] and went on to defeat Portugal in the bronze medal final.[19]
Great Britain named a 19-member cycling squad for the Games, made up of 15 riders and 4 pilots. The team included seven riders who won gold medals at the 2008 Games.[20]
British cyclists won a total of 22 medals, eight of which were gold, to finish top of the cycling medal table.[21] This was two more medals than the team won in Beijing, although fewer gold medals were won. Sarah Storey won four gold medals in track and road events to become the most successful British Paralympian with 22 career medals, and equal the 11 total golds of Tanni Grey-Thompson and David Roberts.[22]
Jody Cundy won a bronze medal in the men's C4 individual pursuit, but was controversially not allowed a restart after a problem with his start in the men's C4-5 time trial.[23] Former RAF technician Jon-Allan Butterworth, competing in his first Paralympics, won the silver medal in that event along with two other silver medals in the men's C5 individual pursuit and as part of the C1-5 sprint team.[24] In the men's B time trial, the tandem of Anthony Kappes and pilot Craig MacLean twice had a mechanical problem with their chain and were not allowed a second restart. Neil Fachie and pilot Barney Storey won the gold medal in a world record time.[25] Both pairings met in an all-British final in the men's B sprint event, where Kappes and MacLean won the gold medal after breaking the world record time during the qualification round.[26]Mark Colbourne set two new world records on the way to gold in the men's C1 individual pursuit,[27] while David Stone won gold in the T1-2 road race, defending the title he won in 2008.[28]
In the women's H1-3 road race, Karen Darke and Rachel Morris finished together in the same time holding hands. Although the two wanted to share the bronze, Morris was awarded the medal having crossed the line slightly ahead.[29]
The only equestrian events held in the Paralympic Games are in the Dressage discipline. Great Britain sent a team of five riders to the Games.[31] Nine-time gold medal winner Lee Pearson took part in his fourth Paralympic Games.[32] Also selected were Deborah Criddle, Sophie Christiansen, Sophie Wells and Natasha Baker.[31] British riders won medals in every event winning five gold medals, five silver and one bronze.[33] Sophie Christiansen won three gold medals, with two individual golds in the grade Ia championship and freestyle events in addition to the team gold.[34] Natasha Baker won both the individual grade II events in her first appearance at the Paralympics.[35] Lee Pearson, previously unbeaten in Paralympic competition, won silver and bronze in the grade Ib individual events as well as his tenth gold in the team event.[36]
5-a-side football is for vision-impaired athletes. All competitors wear eyeshades to account for varying levels of sight, except for the goalkeeper who may be sighted. The squad was announced on 16 April 2012.[37] The team lost their final group match to Iran, having missed four penalties in a match that they needed to win by two goals in order to advance to the semi-finals.[38] Captain David Clarke scored in his final international match as Britain defeated Turkey 2–0 to win the classification playoff for seventh place.[39]
The following is the Great Britain squad in the football 5-a-side tournament of the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[40]
7-a-side football is for cerebral palsy sufferers. Athletes who classify as C5-C8 can take part in this sport, with C5 being most disabled. At least one C5 or C6 player, and no more than three C8 players, may be on the field at a given time. The squad was announced on 16 April 2012 and included Martin Sinclair, the brother of 2012 Olympian Scott Sinclair; the pair became the first siblings to represent Great Britain at a Paralympic and Olympic Games in the same year.[37][41][42] Britain were eliminated at the group stage after defeats to Brazil and defending champions Ukraine.[43] The team went on to defeat the US after scoring two goals in extra time in the classification playoff for seventh place.[44]
The following is the Great Britain squad in the football 7-a-side tournament of the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[45]
As hosts, Great Britain were entitled to enter a team in the men's and women's goalball tournaments,[46] and competed for the first time since the 2000 Games. The women's team advanced from the group stage with victories over Brazil and Denmark. They were defeated by Sweden in their quarter-final after conceding a goal in overtime.[47] The men's team finished sixth in their group, taking their first point in Paralympic competition with a draw against Sweden.[48]
Five British judokas qualified for the Games. Two sets of brothers were selected: Dan and Marc Powell, as well as Joe and Sam Ingram.[49] Sam Ingram and Ben Quilter competed at the 2008 Games, with Ingram winning a bronze medal. All events were for visually impaired athletes. Sam Ingram won a silver medal in the –90kg category, narrowly losing the gold medal contest to Jorge Hierrezuelo Marcillis of Cuba by a yuko.[50] No other British judoka reached the semifinals, but Ben Quilter advanced through the repechage contest to win a bronze medal in the –60kg category after defeating Japan's Takaaki Hirai by ippon.[51]
Six powerlifters were named in the GB team,[52] although Paul Efayena was barred from participating due to a previous criminal conviction.[53] Natalie Blake, Jason Irving, Ali Jawad and Anthony Peddle had all competed at previous Games, with Peddle making his seventh appearance in 2012. Zoe Newson won a bronze medal in the women's –40kg category, Britain's only medal of the Games, by successfully lifting 88kg with her final attempt.[54] Ali Jawad narrowly missed out on a medal in the men's –56kg category with two attempts at 189kg judged to be unsuccessful. He finished fourth having weighed in heavier than third placed Jian Wang of China, after both competitors finished on 185kg.[55]
The mixed adaptive double crew of Captain Nick Beighton and Sam Scowen qualified for London 2012 at the World Rowing Championships.[56] 2008 gold medallist Tom Aggar qualified in the men's single sculls.[57] The mixed coxed four of Naomi Riches, Pam Relph, David Smith, James Roe and cox Lily van den Broecke, who won gold at the 2011 World Rowing Championships, were also selected.[58] Britain's only medal of the regatta was a gold won by the mixed coxed four crew. Nick Beighton and Sam Scowen came fourth in the mixed double sculls, missing out on bronze in a photo finish.[59] Tom Aggar finished in fourth place in the final of the men's single sculls, his first defeat in five years of international racing.[60]
Great Britain entered the same three crews that had competed in 2008. On 8 August 2011, five sailors became the first people to be named on the 2012 Paralympic team. John Robertson, Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas were selected in the three-person Sonar competition. Also announced in the team were current SKUD 18 World Champions, Niki Birrell and Alex Rickham.[61] Helena Lucas was subsequently selected in the 2.4 mR class.[62]
Great Britain won their first ever medals in the sport since its introduction at the 2000 Paralympic Games.[63] The final day of racing was cancelled due to lack of wind, with Helena Lucas in gold medal position in the 2.4 mR class and the SKUD 18 crew in bronze medal position after ten races. The three-person Sonar crew were given a four-point penalty for breaking the boat maintenance rules, moving them from third to fifth position overall.[64]
A squad of twelve competitors were selected to take part in the shooting events including 2008 gold medal winner Matt Skelhon and Di Coates, who first competed at the 1984 Games, making her eighth Paralympic appearance.[65] Matt Skelhon won silver in the 10 m air rifle prone SH1 event that he won in 2008. James Bevis won a bronze medal in the 10 m air rifle prone SH2 event, losing a shootoff to Raphaël Voltz of France 10.4–10.5 after both scored a total of 705.9.[66] Matt Skelhon went on to win bronze in the 50 m rifle prone SH1 event, which he first took part in eighteen months previously.[67]
The British Paralympic Association announced that the men's and women's teams would take up their home quota places in September 2011 and March 2012 respectively.[68] The women's team, including 7 July 2005 London bombings survivor Martine Wright, finished eighth without winning a set.[69] The men's team also finished eighth, having advanced to the quarter-final stage after defeating Morocco.[70]
Men's tournament
Roster
The following is the British roster in the men's volleyball tournament of the 2012 Summer Paralympics.[71]
British Swimming selected 44 swimmers[1] for the Paralympic Games based on qualifying times set at trial events in London and Sheffield in March and April 2012 respectively.[73] Selection of the first sixteen competitors was confirmed by the British Paralympic Association in April 2012,[74] with a further 28 selected in May on confirmation of available slots by IPC Swimming.[75]
British swimmers won seven gold, sixteen silver and sixteen bronze medals in total. In the women's S6 events, Eleanor Simmonds set new world record times in the 400 m freestyle and 200 m individual medley SM6 to win two gold medals,[76][77] in addition to silver in the 100 m freestyle and bronze in the 50 m freestyle events.[78]S7 swimmers Josef Craig and Jonathan Fox both posted new world record times on the way to gold in the 400 m freestyle and 100 m backstroke respectively.[79][80]Jessica-Jane Applegate won the women's 200 m freestyle S14 setting a new Paralympic record in the final.[81] Gold medals were also won by S8 swimmers Heather Frederiksen in the women's 100 m backstroke[82] and Oliver Hynd, who set a new European record in the men's 200 m individual medley SM8.[83]Stephanie Millward won five medals, the most of any ParalympicsGB competitor, in both individual and relay events.[84]
Men
James Clegg won a bronze medal in the men's 100 m butterfly S12.
Qualifiers for the latter rounds (Q) of all events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.
Women
Jessica-Jane Applegate (centre) after winning a gold medal in the women's 200 m freestyle S14 event.
Qualifiers for the latter rounds (Q) of all events were decided on a time only basis, therefore positions shown are overall results versus competitors in all heats.
Thirteen athletes competed for GB in table tennis.[1] Athletes in classes 1 to 5 compete in wheelchairs, while classes 6 to 10 compete standing. Lower numbered classes indicate a higher severity disability. Athletes with intellectual disabilities compete in class 11.
Will Bayley won a silver medal in the class 7 men's singles, losing to Jochen Wollmert of Germany in the final.[86]Paul Davies, competing in his first Paralympics, won a bronze medal in the class 1 men's singles.[87] In the team events, both the men's class 6–8 team and the women's class 1–3 team won bronze medals with victories over Germany and Italy respectively.[88]
As hosts Great Britain automatically qualified one men's team and one women's team in wheelchair basketball.[89] Competing athletes are given an eight-level-score specific to wheelchair basketball, ranging from 0.5 to 4.5 with lower scores representing a higher degree of disability. The sum score of all players on the court cannot exceed 14.[90]
The men's team were defeated by Canada in the semi-final and went on to finish fourth after losing the bronze medal final to the US.[91] The women's team were knocked out of the competition at the quarter-final stage by Germany.[92] They finished seventh after winning their classification final against Mexico.[93]
Great Britain named a squad of seven fencers[96] competing across five events. The squad included 14-year-old Gabi Down as well as 1992 bronze medallist David Heaton who returned to the sport having retired after the 2004 Paralympics.
Tom Hall-Butcher advanced from the opening qualification pools but lost to Cheong Meng Chai of Hong Kong in the last 16 round.[97] Justine Moore was eliminated in the qualification rounds in both the women's individual foil and épée events.[98] Both men's and women's teams finished eighth without winning a match.[99][100]
The British wheelchair rugby team in action against the United States in their opening match.
Great Britain qualified to compete in wheelchair rugby as host nation. A squad of 11 was named with five athletes returning from the 2008 Games, where the team finished fourth.[101] The team did not advance to the semi-finals after defeats to the United States and Japan in the group stage.[102] Britain went on to win their classification matches against Belgium and Sweden to finish in fifth place in the competition.[103]
Of the ten athletes selected to compete in wheelchair tennis, seven had competed in 2008,[105] including double Paralympic quad singles champion Peter Norfolk. In the singles events, no British competitor advanced past the quarter-final stage. Defending quad singles champion Peter Norfolk was defeated in the quarter-finals by Shraga Weinberg of Israel in three sets,[106] while ninth seed Gordon Reid and eighth seed Lucy Shuker reached the quarter-finals in the men's singles and women's singles respectively.
↑ "Women's Ind. C5 Pursuit". The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games Limited. Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
Great Britain, the team of the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, from 13 to 29 August 2004 with the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. The British sent a wide-ranging delegation to the Games, continuing its ubiquitous presence in the Olympic games, the only country to have sent competitors to every summer and winter games since the birth of the modern Olympics in 1896. Great Britain's 264 athletes, 161 men and 103 women, competed in 22 disciplines throughout the two-week event. The team entered the opening ceremony behind the Union Flag carried by judoka Kate Howey. Double gold medal winner Kelly Holmes carried the flag at the closing ceremony.
The United Kingdom has been represented at every modern Olympic Games, and as of the 2020 Summer Olympics is third in the all-time Summer Olympic medal table by both number of gold medals won and overall number of medals. London has hosted the Summer Olympic Games three times: in 1908, 1948, and 2012.
Wheelchair curling at the 2006 Winter Paralympics was played at the Pinerolo Palaghiaccio, in Pinerolo, 30 km southwest of Turin. Wheelchair curling was making its first appearance at the Paralympic Games and took the form of a mixed team event, open to athletes with a physical disability in the lower part of the body that required the everyday use of a wheelchair.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed at the 2006 Winter Paralympics held in Turin, Italy. The team was known by it shortened name of Great Britain, for identification purposes.
Matthew "Matt" Byrne is a British wheelchair basketball player. He participated at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens where he finished in third position. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, Byrne finished in bronze medal position with Great Britain. He played for United Kingdom at the 2012 Summer Paralympics in London.
Lucy Jessica Shuker is a British wheelchair tennis player who is currently the highest ranked woman in the sport in Britain. A previous singles and doubles National Champion, Shuker has represented Great Britain at four successive Paralympic Games, twice winning a bronze medal in the women's doubles and is former world doubles champion and World Team Cup silver medallist amongst a number of other national and international successes.
Great Britain, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The United Kingdom was represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. Britain is one of only five NOCs to have competed in every modern Summer Olympic Games since 1896. The delegation of 547 people included 311 competitors – 168 men, 143 women – and 236 officials. The team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom including Northern Ireland. Additionally some British overseas territories compete separately from Britain in Olympic competition.
Great Britain competed at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, People's Republic of China. Great Britain sent a delegation of around 400, of which 212 were athletes, to compete in eighteen sports at the Games. The team was made up of athletes from the whole United Kingdom; athletes from Northern Ireland, who may elect to hold Irish citizenship under the pre-1999 article 2 of the Irish constitution, are able to be selected to represent either Great Britain or Ireland at the Paralympics. Additionally some British overseas territories compete separately from Britain in Paralympic competition.
The United States competed at the 1968 Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, Israel from November 4 to 13, 1968. The team finished first out of the twenty-eight competing nations in the medal table and won ninety-nine medals: thirty-three gold, twenty-seven silver and thirty-nine bronze. Eighty-two American athletes took part; fifty-three men and twenty-nine women.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed at the 2010 Winter Paralympics held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The team was known by it shortened name of Great Britain, for identification purposes.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland, represented by the British Olympic Association (BOA), competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom, from 27 July to 12 August 2012 as the host nation and the team of selected athletes was officially known as Team GB. British athletes have competed at every Summer Olympic Games in the modern era, alongside Australia, France and Greece, though Great Britain is the only one to have won at least one gold medal at all of them. London is the first city to host the Summer Olympics on three different occasions, having previously done so in 1908 and 1948. Soon, it will be joined by Paris in 2024 and Los Angeles in 2028 in hosting the Olympic Games for a third time. Team GB, organised by BOA, sent a total of 541 athletes, 279 men and 262 women, to the Games, and won automatic qualification places in all 26 sports.
Great Britain sent a delegation to compete at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, West Germany. Teams from the nation are referred to by International Paralympic Committee (IPC) as Great Britain despite athletes from the whole of the United Kingdom, including those from Northern Ireland, being eligible. They sent seventy two competitors, forty seven male and twenty five female. The team won fifty-two medals—sixteen gold, fifteen silver and twenty-one bronze—to finish third in the medal table behind West Germany and the United States. Philip Craven, the former President of the IPC, competed in athletics, swimming and wheelchair basketball for Great Britain at these Games.
Hannah Lucy Cockroft is a British wheelchair racer specialising in sprint distances in the T34 classification. She holds the world records for the 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres and 1500 metres in her classification and the Paralympic records at 100 metres, 200 metres, 400 metres and 800 metres. Competing for Great Britain at the 2012 Summer Paralympics, she won two gold medals. She won three further gold medals at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Caz Walton OBE is a British retired wheelchair athlete and former Great Britain Paralympic team manager. She was a multi-disciplinary gold medallist who competed in numerous Paralympic Games. Between 1964 and 1976 she won medals in athletics, swimming, table tennis, and fencing. She took a break from the Paralympics, entering the basketball and fencing competitions in 1988. In total Walton won ten gold medals during her Paralympic career, making her one of the most successful British athletes of all time. Walton should also have been awarded gold in the 1968 Tel Aviv Women's Pentathlon incomplete but, due to a miscalculation of her total score which went unnoticed at the time, she was given third place and a bronze medal.
Susannah Elizabeth Joy Rodgers, is a British Paralympic swimmer. She competes in S7 classification events and won three bronze medals at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and a gold at the 2016 Summer Paralympics.
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi, Russia, held between 7–16 of March 2014. The team was known by it shortened name of Great Britain, for identification purposes.
Great Britain and Northern Ireland competed, under the name Great Britain, at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 September to 18 September 2016. The first places for which the team qualified were for six athletes in sailing events.
Karé Adenegan is a British wheelchair athlete specialising in sprint distances in the T34 classification. She was classified as a disability athlete in 2013.
Great Britain, or in full Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the team of the British Olympic Association (BOA), which represents the United Kingdom, competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Originally scheduled to take place from 24 July to 9 August 2020, the Games were postponed to 23 July to 8 August 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Great Britain competed in the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan. Originally scheduled to take place between 21 August and 6 September 2020, the Games were postponed to 24 August to 5 September 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. British athletes have competed at all sixteen consecutive Summer Paralympics since 1960.
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