As the Olympics come to a close, the Paralympics kick off, and down the years Britain has produced some of the most influential and incredible athletes to ever compete. This year, as August 24 rolls around, once again many will be taking to the track, field and arenas to compete, following in the footsteps of some true legends.
We’re huge fans of the Paralympics here at Moon Bingo, and during the Games, our bingo games are always packed full of people talking about the memorable events and must watch races and sports of the day.
With the Paralympics edging ever closer, we decided to look back on the careers of some of Team GB’s greatest names…
Tanni Grey-Thompson
It’s difficult not to begin with Baroness Tanni. Rising to prominence in Barcelona in 1992, the T53 star won a breath-taking 11 Golds across four different events, as well as five other podium finishes, including in her first ever Games.
Her international career started in 1988 where she won Bronze in the 400m, but it was four Golds in Barcelona and then Sydney eight years later which really catapulted her into being a household name. She’s still a regular face on our screens today, often on the media team of Olympic and Paralympic coverage, as well as enjoying a number of roles in charities and politics.
David Weir
The ‘Weir Wolf’ will be at Tokyo this year and will be looking to add to an already impressive medal collection. He’s six Gold Medals to his name, after picking up two in Beijing and four in London across T54 events and is one of the biggest names in Paralympic sport.
He’s also no stranger to marathon events and is a regular at the London Marathon, where he’s won eight and was also the first wheelchair racer to ever break the one hour, thirty minute mark. He continues to be a real inspiration for racers and people taking up the sport worldwide, and this year could be his final hurrah at the Paralympics at the age of 42.
Sarah Storey
Dame Sarah Storey is a 29-time World Champion and in 2010 became the first disabled cyclist to compete in the Commonwealth Games. She’s a remarkable athlete, having first started her career in the pool. She has won a total of 14 Gold Medals, the first of those coming in 1992, where she picked up two in swimming, before a further three in Atlanta in 1996.
Later in her career she switched to the bike and picked up a further nine Gold Medals, while also in 2008 she won an Individual Pursuit medal that would have in fact seen her finish in the top eight at the Olympics.
David Roberts
David Roberts is one of the most successful Paralympians of all time having picked up 11 Gold Medals primarily across S7 swimming. His career in the pool at international level began in 2000, where he enjoyed a total of three Golds, three Silvers and a Bronze,
His career went from strength-to-strength from there but heartbreak hit ahead of 2012, when he failed to meet qualifying times due to a bout of pneumonia just weeks before they took place, ending a career that should have seen him enjoy a final goodbye on home soil.
