Global Brand Partners Limited are delighted to be sponsoring Jack, Rachel & Dan in their training for the Para Olympics in Paris this year.
Programme Bio
The ParaGB programme became full time in April 2018 in readiness for Badminton to be included in the Paralympic Games for 2020. Having 4 players in the top 5 in the world made a very strong team and coming away from Tokyo with a bronze and a silver medal was an amazing achievement. Since then, the team have been working hard by adding new players into the world class programme as well as directing attention to the performance in Paris 2024. Currently there are 6 players and 3 travelling staff with a further 8 support staff who will remain in the EIS Sheffield. Qualification for the Paralympic Games in the summer has just finished which has sent the team to 12 countries in the last 16 months to fight it out against the best in the world. Four athletes have qualified with coaches and a physiotherapist joining them on their biggest tournament to date. The Badminton will take place in a 7500-seater stadium which will be an incredible atmosphere to host such a prestigious event and all available tickets for badminton have been sold out. After the games, the tea will be turning their heads to 2028 in Los Angeles. Maintaining the ParaGB world ranking in Worlds, European games and open internationals which will lead them into another qualification period and then onto the games itself which is set to be held in the LA Lakers reserve stadium which can host up to 20,000 spectators. This is an exciting time to be involved in this sport.
Individual Bio’s of ParaGB Team
Jack Shephard
My name is Jack Shephard currently on the GB program. I started playing badminton when I was 10 years old through the Dwarf Sports Association UK and reached out to a local club in Sheffield. After developing in my club for 5 years I was invited onto the England programme where I started playing international tournaments. The World & European championships were my main goal and I managed to become triple World and triple European champion in the upcoming years. In 2018 I became a full time GB athlete when the sport received its first lot of funding from UK Sport, and this meant my dreams came true. From here I went on to represent GB at the Tokyo Paralympics which was amazing and a childhood ambition. Looking forward to the future we have the Paris Paralympics coming up where my goal is to come home with 2 gold medals in the singles and mixed doubles.
Rachel Choong
Rachel Choong is a GB Para Badminton player who competes in the SH6 (short stature) classification in women’s singles, and mixed doubles with Jack Shephard. In her hometown of Liverpool aged 6, she began playing badminton and instantly fell in love with the sport. It wasn’t until 2007, aged 13, she was introduced to para badminton, and has since gone on to win 10 World titles and 10 European titles across three events. Despite para badminton making its Paralympic debut in Tokyo 2020, Rachel’s events were not included and therefore she was unable to compete. In April 2022, Rachel was invited to join the GB Para Badminton set up in Sheffield after SH6 women’s singles and mixed doubles were included in the Paris 2024 Paralympic programme. Since joining the GB team, she has medalled in many tournaments but significantly, has won the European Para Games 2023 mixed doubles with Jack, and has recently qualified for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games in women’s singles and mixed doubles.
Daniel Bethell
My name is Dan Bethell. I’m an SL3 men’s singles player and a GB Paralympian. I discovered badminton through a google search after being inspired by the Beijing Paralympic Games in 2008 and wanting to be part of the movement. I started playing Para-Badminton in 2010 and played my first international in 2013. I have gone on to become a 4-time European Champion in men’s singles and a 3 times world championship medallist: including a silver at the recent 2024 BWF Para-Badminton World Championships. I was part of the first GB para-badminton squad to attend a Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020, where I won a silver medal. I’m looking forward to trying to go one further in Paris at the 2024 Paralympics.