ParalympicsGB - What we've been up to in July

World records broken by Para-swimmers

Reigning Paralympic champions Faye Rogers and Poppy Maskill set new world records competing at the 2025 Speedo Aquatics GB Next Gen Championships at Ponds Forge in Sheffield.

Rogers set a new fastest time for the S10 women’s 200m Butterfly and also won the mixed classification races in the 100m and 400m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly setting a new European record time in the process.

Maskill, who was ParalympicsGB’s most decorated athlete at Paris 2024 winning three golds and two silver medals, broke the world record in the S14 100m Butterfly.

Ionna Winnifrith, who is just 14-years-old and was ParalympicsGB’s youngest medallist at Paris 2024, won the mixed classification 50m Butterfly and William Ellard secured first place in the mixed classification 200m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly.

During the seven-day championships there was also success for Paralympians Harry Stewart, Ellie Challis, Bethany Firth, Callie Ann-Warrington, Mark Tompsett, Cameron Vearncombe, Bruce Dee and Olivia Newman-Baronius

Brits triumph at Boccia European Championships

There was a record medal haul for the British boccia squad at the European Championships in Zagreb as the team topped the medal table with four golds and two bronze.

Paralympic champion Stephen McGuire continued to show terrific form as he won the individual BC4 category as well as the Pairs event alongside 17-year-old Sophie Newnham, who added a bronze in her singles match.

David Smith reclaimed the European crown he won in 2021 with a win in the BC1 event and 20-year-old Sally Kidson won her first ever international title with gold in the BC3 event alongside ramp assistant Connor Wellfare.

Kayleigh Brown (nee Haggo), who is six months pregnant, won bronze in the BC2 event – seeing off Paralympic champion Christina Goncalves in the process.

Wheelchair tennis at Wimbledon

Defending champion Alfie Hewett finished runner-up in his fourth successive Wimbledon men’s singles final – and his 21st Grand Slam men’s singles final - losing out to Japan’s Tokito Oda 3-6, 7-5, 6-2 on the No.1 court at the All England Club. 

Hewett and doubles partner Gordon Reid also finished runners-up in the men’s doubles final a day earlier, as did Great Britain’s quad doubles player Greg Slade, who paired up with South African Donald Ramphadi. British No.2 Lucy Shuker and Diede de Groot of the Netherlands lost out in their women’s doubles semi-final. Shuker, a five-time Wimbledon doubles finalist, and De Groot, slipped to a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Colombia’s Angelica Bernal and Ksenia Chasteau of France.

British Para triathletes in form around the world

Paralympic and world champion Dave Ellis and guide Luke Pollard dominated the field at the British Paratriathlon Championships, finishing over 15 minutes clear of their rivals in the PTVI event at Eton Dorney, while Hannah Moore, a bronze medallist on her Paralympic debut at Paris 2024, claimed victory in the PTS4 class.

There was further success for Ellis, Pollard and Moore at the World Triathlon Para Cup in Tat, Hungary, with Moore winning her PTS4 event by more than 10 minutes.

Further afield, Finley Jakes – who made his Paralympic debut at Paris 2024 - finished runner-up in the men’s PTS4 race at the World Triathlon Para Cup in Canada before going on to race in the fourth round of the 2025 World Triathlon Para Series in Montreal where he just missed out on a medal, finishing fourth. Oscar Kelly, guided by Jack Hutchens, meanwhile won the PTVI race – his first gold at World Para Series level while in the wheelchair category Josh Landmann finished second.

Para Athletes in action at London Diamond league

Paralympic champion and 1500m T20 world record holder Ben Sandilands was among the winners at the Novuna London Athletics Meet at the London Stadium, winning the men’s (mixed class T20/38/46) 1500m in a season’s best 3:49.95; Sophie Hahn clocked 12.89 to win the women’s mixed category 100m (T11-13, 35-38, 44-47,64) while Zak Skinner edged out Thomas Young in a photo finish in the men’s equivalent.

Para Powerlifting Nationals

The UK’s top-ranked Para Powerlifters were in action at the British Championships in July with Mark Swan and Olivia Broome confirmed Overall best male and female Para Powerlifters respectively.

Swan won the Lightweight division with a lift of 213kg (208.88 pts), while Mattie Harding came top in the Heavyweight division with 190kg (178.12 pts) ahead of Ali Jawad (187kg/174.72 pts), who recently announced his return to the sport, with Liam McGarry (224kg/161.55 pts) in third.

Broome claimed first place in the female Lightweight division with 116kg (118.65 pts) ahead of Lottie McGuinness (108kg/105.33 pts), while Louise Sugden took the title in the women’s Heavyweight division with a best of 121kg (103.43 pts).

British athletes compete at European Para Youth Games

The European Para Youth Games in Istanbul broke records for the numbers of participants, sports and countries with more than 1,200 athletes, coaches and support staff representing 31 countries attending the event between 21-28 July 2025.

British athletes competed in Table Tennis and Judo winning a total of four medals - one gold and three bronze.

British squad selected for Para Dressage European Championships

The four-strong squad British for Para Equestrian’s European Championships which will take place in Ermelo, The Netherlands, from 3–7 September has been announced, and includes:

• Paris 2024 bronze medallist Mari Durward-Akhurst riding Athene Lindebjerg, recent winners in the Grade 1 class at Hartpury’s Festival of Dressage
• Double European medallist Gabriella Blake riding Strong Beau. Gabriella was part of ParalympicGB’s Paralympic Inspiration Programme at Paris 2024
• Jemima Green riding Fantabulous
  
• Nicola Naylor riding Humberto L, who makes her Championship debut having been reserve for ParalympicsGB at Paris 2024

Boccia’s Claire Taggart retires

Three-time Paralympian and 2022 World champion Claire Taggart has retired from boccia after 11 years representing Great Britain.

Claire competed at Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, winning a number of major medals along the way at European and World championships and World Cups, as well as holding the world number one ranking position in her class.

Announcing her decision, the Northern Irish athlete revealed the struggles she has had with her mental health over recent years and the pressure she felt of being an elite athlete.

Claire said: “Being an elite athlete means experiencing the extremes of emotions, the difficulty of separating your performance from your self-worth, and the difficulty of knowing when it’s time to stop.

“I used to wake up every day excited to go to training, to work ridiculously hard and to sacrifice everything in the pursuit of medals. I don’t feel that way anymore. I’ve spent the last nine months working on my mental health, with the support of my parents, medical professionals and close friends. With the right support and therapy, I am starting to feel better than I have in years, with real ambitions and life goals away from a boccia court.”

Claire, who also sits on the ParalympicsGB Athletes’ Commission, has announced the launch of her own business – Think Accessible; a consultancy working primarily with live music venues and festivals to make the industry more accessible to people within Deaf, disabled and neurodiverse communities.

ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe receives CBE

Paralympics GB’s Chef de Mission at Paris 2024, Penny Briscoe, received a CBE for services to Paralympic sport from HRH Princess Anne during a ceremony at Windsor Castle.

Paris 2024, was her eleventh Games and fifth as Chef de Mission, and saw ParalympicsGB break records to finish second on the medal table with 124 medals including 49 golds won across 18 different sports.

Penny said: “I am delighted to receive this award not just for myself but in recognition of all who continue to strive to champion change as part of ParalympicsGB.”