ParalympicsGB can today reveal the four Paralympic shooters who will represent Great Britain at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
With previous representation at the Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, ParalympicsGB has selected an experienced squad for this summer’s Games which take place in Paris from 28 August to 8 September.
The selected athletes for Paris 2024 are: Matt Skelhon, Ryan Cockbill, Tim Jeffery (rifle events) and Issy Bailey (pistol).
As the current European and world champion, Skelhon is the most experienced member of the squad having represented ParalympicsGB at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020. Already the proud owner of three Paralympic medals – he won gold in Beijing followed by silver and bronze in London – the 39-year-old will be looking to add further silverware to his illustrious collection this summer.
Just two years after joining the Great Britain shooting team, Cockbill made his Paralympic debut at London 2012 – he also took part in the torch relay in Birmingham ahead of the Games. He then went on to compete in Rio and Tokyo, with Paris 2024 set to be his fourth Paralympic Games. Cockbill secured his place in the ParalympicsGB team after claiming an impressive R9 gold at the World Shooting Para Sport World Cup in New Delhi earlier this year.
For Bailey, Paris 2024 will be her third Paralympic Games after Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 where she narrowly missed out on a place in the final. The 30-year-old is the only pistol shooter in the squad and also secured her quota spot for the Games at the World Cup in New Delhi alongside Cockbill.
At 28-years-old, Jeffery is the youngest member of the squad and made his Paralympic debut at Rio 2016. Five years later, he was selected to represent ParalympicsGB once again at the postponed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Jeffery secured his spot for Paris 2024 at last year’s World Championships in Lima where he finished fifth in the R9 event as well as winning silver in the team event alongside Cockbill and James Bevis.
Commenting on his selection for what will be his fifth Paralympic Games, Matt Skelhon, said: “It’s absolutely epic to be selected to represent ParalympicsGB at Paris 2024. I never thought when I started I would be saying that I am going to my fifth Paralympics.
“I’ve been at a high level in the shooting sport for 17 years now, having put in a lot of hard work and still continue to do so. It’s only getting harder to stay at the top with competition always getting higher, but I’m determined to be there as long as I can.
“My recent wins at the European and World Championships prove that I still have what it takes and I’m continuing to train hard with my support team to keep my competitiveness. My experience should help me with the Games environment but it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve been it never gets easier to compete – I just feel more comfortable feeling uncomfortable now.”
Shooting Para sport Team Leader, Duncan Tunbridge, said: “This is a team full of experience and brimming with potential. With what will be a combined fifteen Paralympic Games between them, these are athletes who know what it takes to perform on the highest stage.
“As the strength and depth of the sport continues to grow, these athletes have embraced the challenge and continued to improve by being open to new ideas and forging strong relationships with each other and the team around them. Performances in competitions this year have shown the hard work that has been put in is paying off.
“Chateauroux is a venue where the team have been successful before and we look forward to returning there as part of ParalympicsGB to showcase this special sport on a global stage.”
Penny Briscoe, ParalympicsGB Chef de Mission at Paris 2024, added: “We are very proud to announce the selection of the four Paralympic Shooting athletes who will represent ParalympicsGB at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. This squad is incredibly experienced, with each athlete having already competed at multiple Paralympic Games, which will undoubtedly put them in great stead heading into Paris.
“Paris will be a fantastic opportunity for Issy, Matt, Ryan and Tim to once again showcase their talents and for the world to witness the skill of Shooting Para sport. We can’t wait to see them achieve great success in Paris and wish them all the very best of luck.”
Shooting Para sport will be hosted at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre from Friday 30 August to Thursday 5 September with each of Great Britain’s events being mixed gender.
A total of around 230 athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Paris, with further names to be announced by ParalympicsGB in the coming weeks.
ParalympicsGB Shooting Para sport squad for Paris 2024:
Matt Skelhon
R3 – Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone, SH1
R6 – Mixed 50m Rifle Prone, SH1
Ryan Cockbill
R4 – Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing, SH2
R5 – Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone, SH2
R6 – Mixed 50m Rifle Prone, SH1
Tim Jeffery
R4 – Mixed 10m Air Rifle Standing, SH2
R3 – Mixed 10m Air Rifle Prone, SH1
R9 – Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH1
Issy Bailey
P3 – Mixed 25m Pistol, SH1
With thanks to ParalympicsGB
