ParalympicsGB: What we've been up to in May

The summer is heating up and so is the sport, here’s some of May’s highlights…

Gold for Powell at Judo World Championships

Para judo’s Dan Powell claimed his first ever world title at the IBSA World Championships in May, taking gold in the -95kg J1 category, while there were bronze medals too for Evan Molloy (-81kg J2) and Miles Soloman (-70kg J2). 

Powell, who won silver at Paris 2024 to add to the world silver medal he won in 2022, extended his remarkable podium streak to 15 consecutive competitions with a final victory over reigning Paralympic champion Arthur Cavalcante da Silva of Brazil. 

Former World Junior champion Jack Hodgdon finished fifth in the +95kg, and Kirsten Taylor also narrowly missed out on the podium, finishing fifth in the women’s +70kg.

Pritchard claims rowing European title

Paralympic champion Benjamin Pritchard added the European title to his list of accolades with victory in the PR1 men’s single sculls final at the 2025 European Rowing Championships in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.

The 33-year-old clocked a world best time of 08:40.38 - a new European and British record, while there were silver medals for Paralympic silver medallists Sam Murray and Annie Caddick in the PR3 mixed double sculls.

British Para athletes shine at Nottwil Grand Prix 

Nine-times Paralympic champion Hannah Cockroft was among the winners at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Nottwil, Switzerland.

Cockcroft topped the podium three times in the 100m, 400m and 800m T34 races while there was a win too for husband Nathan Macguire – the pair married last year after Paris 2024 – in the men’s 400m T54. Danny Sidbury finished fourth in his first competition back since injury in the 800m, 1500m and 5000m T54.

Mel Woods won the 800m T54 to add to second place in the women’s 400m and the 1500m T53-54; Marcus Perrinaeu-Daley clocked a personal best to finish third in the 100m T52 and Fabienne Andre was runner-up behind Cockroft in the women’s 400m and 800m T34 and third in the 100m T34.

Brits excel in Para table tennis

Paul Karabardak won his first singles title for two years claiming gold in the men’s class 6 at the ITTF World Para Challenger Podgorica in Montenegro, while there were six further golds for the British Para table tennis team at the ITTF World Para Challenger Lasko in Slovenia. 15-year-old Bly Twomey, Jack Hunter-Spivey, Martin Perry, Will Bayley, Aaron McKibbin and Joshua Stacey all won their events. Bayley and Twomey also combined to take gold in the class 14 mixed doubles. The pair last played together at the European Championships in 2023.

Bayley and Twomey went on to claim a second consecutive gold medal together on the final day of the ITTF World Para Elite Lasko tournament in Slovenia, with Bayley and McKibbin also claiming two more singles titles and bronze medals for Jack Hunter-Spivey, Megan Shackleton Martin Perry and Grace Williams.

Wheelchair tennis medals at World Team Cup

The men’s wheelchair tennis and quads teams returned home with bronze medals from the 2025 BNP Paribas World Team Cup in Antalya, Turkey – the wheelchair equivalent of the Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup. 

Ben Bartram and Dahnon Ward beat France 2-0 in their bronze medal play-off, while the bronze medal play-off for the quad team came down to a deciding doubles contest after Greg Slade beat Australia’s Finn Broadbent 6-4, 6-0 and Andy Lapthorne was narrowly edged out by Benjamin Wenzel 7-6(4), 6-4 in the singles.

Paris 2024 Paralympic quad doubles silver medallists Lapthorne and Slade then beat their Australian opponents 6-4, 6-1 in the doubles. 

Boccia squad start 2025 season remembering Will Arnott and Matt Berry

The Great Britain boccia team wore red armbands at the season opener Pajulathi Challenger in Finland to remember team-mates Will Arnott and Matt Berry who both sadly passed away last year.

The event marked the first time the British squad have been back on court since the formidable BC3 players died last December, and the athletes – who selected the colour red in recognition of World Duchenne Awareness Day as Will and Matt both lived with the condition – returned home with four medals.

Paralympic gold medallist Stephen McGuire took top honours in the BC4 category, while Sally Kidson claimed her first ever international individual medal, winning bronze. Five-time Paralympic medallist David Smith – competing in a new boccia chair - won silver, while BC2 player Reshad Saraj, who only recently joined the World Class Programme, won bronze.

ParalympicsGB’s Athlete Community holds first reunion

ParalympicsGB held its first ever Athlete Community reunion event in Stirling, Scotland, bringing together British Paralympians from across the generations to celebrate and recognise their place in the team’s rich history. 

The event was the first in a series of reunion events which will take place across the UK as part of ParalympicsGB’s newly established Athlete Community and provided an opportunity for athletes and loved ones of athletes who had passed away to reunite, make new connections and celebrate their achievements. 

Athletes also received official ParalympicsGB recognition tokens, honouring their contribution to the history of ParalympicsGB. The first tokens were presented to athletes during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, with the ambition of awarding tokens to all athletes who have represented ParalympicsGB at a Paralympic Games since the inaugural competition in 1960. 

Sophie Christiansen among four candidates elected to ParalympicsGB Board

Four candidates have been elected to the Board of ParalympicsGB during a meeting of the membership of the National Paralympic Committee last month.

Sophie Christiansen CBE, who won 10 medals including eight golds in an Equestrian career spanning four Paralympic Games, is one of three new Board members alongside Tim Hollingsworth OBE, Mike Cavendish and re-elected Fred Hargreaves OBE.

Table tennis star Neil Robinson retires

Former Paralympic champion Neil Robinson, who won seven Paralympic medals as an athlete before becoming an integral part of the British Para Table Tennis coaching team has announced his retirement after an incredible career during which he represented ParalympicsGB at 11 Paralympic Games - seven as an athlete, winning gold at Barcelona 1992, and four as a coach. 

Robinson retired from playing after Beijing 2008 and was subsequently asked to help prepare the British squad for the challenge of a home Games at London 2012.

He also set up a centre at the Welsh Institute of Sport in Cardiff where the Welsh players could benefit from top quality coaching on a full-time basis.

“I am extremely proud to have won seven Paralympic medals as an athlete but working closely with and helping athletes achieve their Paralympic dreams gives me a greater feeling of satisfaction,” he said.

Cycling success for Brits at World Cup

Paralympic silver medallist Daphne Schrager claimed two wins at the Para-cycling Road World Cup in Maniago, Italy, finishing 12 seconds ahead of her closest rival in the time trial and three minutes clear in the road race.  Paris gold medallist Fin Graham also won his C3 event with team-mate Ben Watson third, while Archie Atkinson won the C4 race.

In the women’s B time trial, tandem pairs Lizzi Jordan and Danni Khan and Amelia Robertson and Corrine Hall were second and third respectively; Matthew Robertson claimed C2 road race silver and time trial bronze and trike rider Felix Barrow was second in the T2 road race.

In memory

Everyone at ParalympicsGB is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Anne Dunham MBE. Anne represented ParalympicsGB at no fewer than five Paralympic Games in a phenomenal career spanning over 20 years. 

Anne made her British team debut at the 1994 World Championships, going on to compete at the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games, where Para equestrian made its Games debut and riders competed with borrowed horses. Anne secured a bronze in the individual freestyle competition and helped ParalympicsGB to a first team gold medal, the start of a historic winning streak for the British team.

Anne went on to represent ParalympicsGB at four Paralympic Games – Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Beijing 2008 and Rio 2016, amassing ten medals, six of them gold. She retired from the sport in 2017.

ParalympicsGB’s deepest condolences also go to the family and friends of Margaret Gibbs, who passed away recently. 

Margaret’s remarkable career saw her win 23 medals across Paralympic and Commonwealth Games, including eight golds. Margaret was a trailblazer in Paralympic sport and competed at three consecutive Games – Tokyo 1964, Tel Aviv 1968 and Heidelberg 1972. 

Margaret competed in a number of Para sports, including athletics, archery, swimming and Pentathlon Incomplete, in which she won a gold medal. She was awarded the Bill McGowran Sportswoman of the Year trophy by the Sports Writers Association in 1972.