ParalympicsGB - What we've been up to in November

ParalympicsGB celebrated 100 days to go until the Opening Ceremony of the Milano Cortina Paralympic Winter Games on November 26 and a number of athletes have been competing as they continue their preparations ahead of selection which begins in December.

Phil Smith, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission at Milano Cortina 2026, said: “So, the final countdown is now firmly on. There is still a long way to go though and as a ParalympicsGB team we will use every one of these 100 days to make sure we are the best prepared team we can be when it comes to the Games.”

The first Para Snowboard World Cup of the season took place in Landgraaf, the Netherlands, with Beijing 2022 bronze medallist Ollie Hill finishing just outside the medals in fifth place in the banked slalom. 

With seven places on the ParalympicsGB wheelchair curling squad for Milano Cortina 2026 up for grabs – two in the mixed doubles and five in the mixed team event – British Wheelchair curling athletes have been busy over the last few weeks competing at home and abroad ahead of the final team selections in December. At the Riga International Mixed Doubles tournament in Latvia, Jo Butterfield and Jason Kean saw off China in the final to take home gold, while at the 19th International Wheelchair Curling tournament in the Czech Republic, the British team of Hugh Nibloe (skip), Gary Smith, Keith Gray and Karen Aspey claimed silver behind Slovakia.

Teenager Bly Twomey interrupted study for her mock GCSE exams to win her first ever major title with European gold in the women’s class 7 singles before adding mixed doubles gold alongside mentor Will Bayley on the final day of competition at the ITTF European Para Table Tennis Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden.

The 15-year-old saw off defending European and world champion Kubra Korkut in straight sets in the final before joining forces with Bayley for the mixed doubles, with the pair entering the competition as top seeds. Twomey then rounded off a superb championship with doubles class 14 bronze alongside Fliss Pickard, while Bayley added silver in the men’s doubles class 14 with Theo Bishop.

Experienced Welshman Rob Davies meanwhile notched up his fifth European title in the men’s singles class 1 as he got the better of Italy’s Paralympic bronze medallist Federico Falco. Grace Williams won a singles silver medal, while Tom Matthews, Chris Ryan, Martin Perry, Theo Bishop, Billy Shilton and Fliss Pickard all claimed bronze medals.

In the doubles competitions, Jack Hunter-Spivey and Megan Shackleton came within a point of gold but had to be content with silver in the mixed doubles class 10, while Shilton and Paul Karabardak secured bronze in the men’s doubles class 14 and Ryan and Matthews teamed up to win bronze in men’s doubles class 4.

Paralympic doubles champions Alfie Hewett and Gordon Reid finished runners-up at the end-of-year Masters final in Huzhou, China. Hewett and Reid – who finished runners-up in 2024 after wins in 2017, 2021 and 2023 – lost a tight final match against Martin de la Puente and Ruben Spaargaren 4-6, 6-1, 12-14. Hewett also finished runner-up in the singles event, losing out to Japan’s Paralympic champion and world number one Tokito Oda 6-1, 6-1.

Four-time Paralympic medallist Andy Lapthorne and his Australian partner Heath Davidson finished runners-up in the Quad Doubles Masters final, losing to Guy Sasson and Niels Vink 6-2, 6-0.

The 77th edition of the Sports Journalists’ Association Sports Awards took place in November with the announcement and presentations made live on Sky Sports News. Congratulations to Fin Graham (Para cycling) and Sabrina Fortune (Para athletics) who won male and female Para athlete of the year respectively.

Two-time Paralympic sprint champion Richard Whitehead has completed his remarkable 100 Marathon Challenge. The 49-year-old has completed 20 marathons this year alone. In 2004 Whitehead ran his first marathon in New York and he returned to the Big Apple in November for his 100th, which he finished in 2:57.45.

The shortlist for the Sunday Times sportswomen of the year has been revealed, with Para swimmer Poppy Maskill one of six nominees in the Young Sportswoman of the Year category. Voting is open to the public and awarded to a sportswoman aged 21 or under on 1 Jan 2025.

The 20-year-old followed up her 5 medals – including three gold - at Paris 2024 with five golds at the World Para Swimming Championships this year.

Nominees for Disability Sportswoman of the Year – which is awarded by judges ‘to an outstanding performer in disability sport’ - include Hannah Cockroft, who took her tally of world titles to 31 after three wins at the World Para Athletics World Championships in India last month; Para swimmer Grace Harvey who this year reclaimed the 100m SB5 breaststroke world title she last won in 2022, sprinter Victoria Levitt who won 100m gold and 200m T44 silver at her first World Championships; Alice Tai, who won four golds in four days at the World Para Swimming Championships and Sabrina Fortune who won her fourth consecutive world shot put F20 title with a new world record.

Former World and Commonwealth champion Ross Wilson has announced his retirement from Para table tennis after 23 years in the sport. 

The 30-year-old competed at three Paralympic Games as well as multiple World and European Championships, picking up numerous medals along the way, including Commonwealth and world gold in 2018. He won bronze in the men’s team event at London 2012 – a feat he repeated at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

Paralympic Rower Sam Murray has also called an end his sporting career. Sam began rowing at school, joining the squad at Caversham ahead of the Rio 2016 Games. After narrowly missing out on selection he retired from the sport in 2017 - but returned to full-time training ahead of Paris 2024 at the age of 32 and went on to win a silver medal in the newly introduced PR3 mixed doubles class alongside Annie Caddick. The pair also won European gold in 2024.