Shephard going for Tokyo gold

Dronfield's Jack Shephard will be going for gold at the Paralympics in Tokyo.
Jack Shephard.Jack Shephard.
Jack Shephard.

The 24-year-old is currently ranked number one in the world in the SS6 badminton category.

The Games began on Tuesday, with Shephard's category getting underway at the Yoyogi National Stadium on Thursday.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Shephard took up the sport at the age of 10 and has become a dominant force in the sport.

He won double gold at the World Championships in Ulsan in South Korea in 2017, claiming victory in both the singles and doubles.

There he beat fellow Brit Krystian Coombs in the singles final, before the duo teamed up to win the doubles.

History repeated itself at the 2018 European Championships where he again defeated Coombs in the final before they paired up for success in the doubles.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Shephard also claimed 2019 World gold in Basel, Switzerland, defeating China's Wong Chun Yim in the final.

Five years before his first World title, both of his legs were broken in two places to allow them to be straightened.

As he recovered he was wheelchair bound for nine months.

Also representing Derbyshire at the Paralympics will be Maddie Thompson.

The 26-year-old, from Hope Valley, will co-captain of the British wheelchair basketball team.

Thompson was part of the team which competed at London 2012 - missing Rio 2016 as she gave birth to her son Zachary.

“It’s an honour to be co-captain," she said.

Related topics: