Which British Stars Will Triumph at the 2017 World Championships?
The 2017 World Para Athletics Championships – Where to See It
The championships start on Friday at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park’s London Stadium, the scene of some inspiring British medal-winning performances at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. If you can’t be there to cheer the athletes on, however, don’t despair – you can watch extensive coverage of the event on Channel 4.
The World Championship Medals – What Will the Winners Receive?
The medals for the World Para Athletics Championships were revealed in May, alongside those produced for the IAAF World Championships, which will take place at the same venue in August.
According to the IAAF, Toye, Kenning and Spencer, the British jewellers responsible for creating the medals, based their design on the idea of what makes athletes “tick”. As a result, they feature an intricate pattern reminiscent of the workings of a clock, as well as symbolic representations of each event and some of London’s iconic buildings. The Para Athletics World Championships medals also feature images of parasports equipment and include Braille on the reverse. It won’t just be the successful athletes who take medals home from the World Para Athletics Championships either. This year, for the first time, each medallist’s coach will also be rewarded with his or her own medal.
British Parasports Stars – Who is Competing for Team GB?
49 of the 1,300 athletes battling to win those medals will be representing Team GB. Twenty-one of the British competitors won medals in the Rio 2016 Paralympics, with ten of them claiming golds. One of the biggest names in British parasport, Hannah Cockcroft, will be aiming to add an eighth World Championship gold medal to her collection when she takes to the track on Friday night for the T34 100m event. Cockcroft, who recently broke five world records over the course of two events, is hoping to repeat her Doha 2015 achievement and complete the “treble”: winning the T34 100m, 400m and 800m events.
Another British track legend, Jonnie Peacock, has set himself a tough target for the World Championships too. Peacock, who won gold medals in the T44 100m at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympics, is now aiming to break Richard Browne’s world record in the same event. In order to become the new record holder, he’ll need to cross the line in under 10.61 seconds. However, he’s positive that he can achieve great things now that he’s teamed up with his former coach, Dan Pfaff, again.
Richard Whitehead, a gold medallist in London 2012 and Rio 2016, will be aiming to retain his T42 200m title and become the T42 100m world champion. Kadeena Cox, who won cycling and athletics golds in Rio, will be participating in the T38 100m, 200m and 400m events. Other British athletes set to compete at the championships include Aled Davies, Georgie Hermitage, Hollie Arnold, Graeme Ballard, Jo Butterfield, Kare Adenegan and Sophie Hahn.