The Surrey Paralympians representing Great Britain this summer

ParalympicsGB has already secured gold at the games in Paris, and eight Surrey athletes are hoping to add to the country’s tally.

Victoria Kingstone, Elizabeth Jordan, Sam Murray, Greg Slade, Olivia Breen, Ali Smith, Annabel Caddick and Aaron McKibbin will be flying the flag for the county in France.

The Paralympics’ opening ceremony took place on Wednesday and the games will run until 8 September.

ParalympicsGB finished second in the medal table in Tokyo at the last games, with 41 golds.

Camberley’s Victoria Kingstone is hoping to secure a medal in archery.

The 43-year-old got into the sport after giving up wheelchair basketball when she found out she had osteoporosis. She looked for a new challenge and attended an archery taster day in 2017.

The archer, who grew up in Kent, made her international debut the following year.

She competed on Thursday and scored a personal best of 608 as she finished sixth and qualified for the next round on Saturday.

Elizabeth Jordan, from Guildford, is representing ParalympicsGB in both road and track cycling.

The 26-year-old is competing in the women’s B category.

For track cycling she is taking part in the 3,000m individual pursuit, and for road cycling she is doing the individual time trial and the road race.

She won gold in the 1,000m time trial on Friday alongside teammate Khan Dannielle.

Ms Jordan will also compete on Sunday, Wednesday and 6 September.

Guildford’s Sam Murray is representing the country in rowing.

The 33-year-old, who is a member of Molesey Boat Club, will take part in the PR3 mixed double sculls.

He did join the squad in the build up to the 2016 Rio Games, but narrowly missed out on selection.

He will compete on Thursday.

Greg Slade, from Redhill, is set to compete in wheelchair tennis.

He will take part in both the quad singles and doubles events.

The 22-year-old first tried wheelchair tennis in 2016 after being encouraged by his coach and mother.

He will initially compete on Saturday and Sunday, but could advance to play on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

Guildford’s Olivia Breen is competing in the 100m race and long jump in the T38 category.

The 28-year-old won a bronze in both the 4x100m relay in London 2012, and the long jump in Tokyo.

She was crowned BBC Cymru Sports Personality of the Year after winning gold in the 100m for Wales at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

She is competing on Saturday and Thursday.

Ali Smith represents Guildford and Godalming Athletics Club and is taking part in the 400m race in the T38 category.

The 35-year-old is coming off the back of winning silver in the 4x100m universal relay in Tokyo, which was her first games.

She has also won both silver and bronze in the 400m event at the World Para Athletics European Championships in 2018 and 2021.

Smith will compete on 6 September. She will also run the following day if she makes the final.

Annabel Caddick, from Molesey Boat Club, is competing in the PR3 mixed double sculls in para rowing.

She is originally from the Isle of Wight, where she would spend her summers lifeguarding the beaches.

The 25-year-old won gold in the event at the 2024 European Championships in Hungary.

She has qualified for the repechage race on Saturday, and could compete in a final on Sunday.

Epsom table tennis player Aaron McKibbin is competing in the MS8 singles and the MD18 doubles.

The 33-year-old began playing table tennis at school when he was 14.

He made his international debut in 2009 and has won three bronze medals across three Paralympics.

Although he lost to Poland in the first round of the doubles, he will compete in the singles on 6 September – and the following day if he qualifies for the final.

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