Rebecca Bedford and Rachel Choong (Photo: Badminton Photo)

Shephard successfully retained the SS6 singles title he won two years ago with a stunning performance in Switzerland, beating Hong Kong’s Wong Chun Yim 21-17 21-10 in Sunday’s final.

Choong, meanwhile, followed up Saturday’s SS6 title with Bedford to take top step on the podium once again, this time with Andrew Martin for their fourth successive win in the mixed event.

The English medal haul didn’t stop there, with Choong also winning silver in the singles, while Daniel Bethell claimed his first TOTAL BWF Para-badminton World Championship silver medal in the SL3 event.

Bedford also earned silver, alongside Scotland’s Robert Laing, in the mixed doubles following their defeat to top seeds Martin and Choong.

A bronze medal also came Bedford’s way in the SS6 singles after losing out to eventual winner Carmen Giuliana Poveda Flores in the semi-finals, while Martin teamed up with Frenchman Fabien Morat for bronze in the men’s SS6 doubles.

Shephard overcame compatriot Krysten Coombs in the final two years ago and was back celebrating gold in Basel, a straight games victory taking him over the line.

The Englishman was top seed for the SS6 and showed why through the week, not losing a match in an event in which he dropped just one game across six matches.

“It’s a great feeling, especially ahead of qualification for Tokyo. To win the World Championships twice in a row is a great feeling, I’m speechless about it,” he said.

“Having it as a parallel games [competing alongside the TOTAL BWF World Championships for the first time] has been great, we’ve been able to go in and watch the other games, we’ve been able to bond off court and share ideas, and it’s been great having the two tournaments together.

“It’s now back into training for me, there are a few more tournaments ahead in qualifying year – it’s about working hard and make sure I can qualify for Tokyo 2020.”

Choong, meanwhile, enjoyed taking home two golds and one silver medal from a busy week which featured 13 matches on court for a player who relishes the World Championship stage.

The first medal came on Saturday, teaming up with Bedford to great effect in winning the women’s SS6 doubles, overcoming second seeds Poveda Flores and Katherine Valli 27-25 21-17.

Then there was the singles, with top seed Poveda Flores this time coming out on top 21-9 21-19, though Choong was still not done there as she secured a third medal of the week.

This time it was back to gold as she and Martin underpinned their No.1 seeding, overcoming Laing and Bedford 21-15 21-13 to wrap up an epic week on the Swiss courts.

“It feels amazing, I’m really happy with the performance I had this week, I felt I gave it my best,” said Choong.

“It was tough, I had 13 matches in six days so it was tough on the body, but I’m happy to leave with the two golds and one silver medal.

“It’s been a fantastic Championships. I really appreciate the minor details that they’ve put into this competition and it’s made a difference, people are getting to see us everywhere.

“It’s been a tough week so the next thing is getting the body on order and we can see where we go from there.”

Choong is no stranger to world medals and Bethell is of a similar experience, with this silver adding to three bronze medals he won in 2015.

Facing top seed Pramod Bhagat was always going to be a tough task but Bethell held himself well, even taking the first game before going down 6-21 21-14 21-5 in a match lasting close to an hour.

He said: “It feels really good, it’s my first World Championship final so it was a really good experience for me.

“I felt really good all week, I’m a little bit disappointed because once you reach the final, the goal is to become world champion so it is bitter-sweet.

“The World Championship is double qualification points so to get to the final here is fantastic, so that’s really good for me going forward and looking towards Tokyo.”

That concluded action on the final day of competition in Switzerland, with the English team enjoying a memorable week – with the last finals coming exactly a year out from when para badminton makes its Paralympic debut at Tokyo 2020.

“It’s been a good week for the British team, we had a really tough training block and six weeks building up from Ireland, giving us loads of time to do what we got done,” said head coach Rich Morris.

“There were a couple of games that didn’t go our way, a couple that did, but overall I’m really happy.”

Courtesy of Badminton England 

The GB Para-Badminton squad features nine players representing four classifications, which is likely to be where players representing ParalympicsGB in Tokyo are selected from.

After finishing second on the medal table at the 2015 World Championships, Great Britain is considered a powerhouse in international Para-Badminton with strength in depth across all recognised classifications.
The inaugural GB Para-Badminton squad displays this title winning, world class experience.

Five reigning world champions have been selected and all nine players named are holders of a World Championship medal.

The full GB Para-Badminton squad is:

Martin Rooke (Hertfordshire)
Daniel Bethell (Wiltshire)
Alan Oliver (Clackmannshire)
Bobby Griffin (Avon)
Rebecca Bedford (Staffordshire)
Rachel Choong (Merseyside)
Kristian Coombs (Devon)
Andrew Martin (Kent)
Jack Shephard (Derbyshire)

The GB Para-Badminton squad will train together at  camps at selected times throughout the year and the squad’s potential to win medals at a world class level will be reviewed annually.

Headlining the squad is Rachel Choong (pictured above), reigning three-time World Champion, in SS6.

Choong said: “I’m extremely happy and excited to have been selected for the squad. I love competing for my country and it also means that I’m one step closer to fulfilling my dream of competing in the Paralympics.
Becoming a Paralympian would mean everything to me. It has been my dream to be a Paralympian since I was first introduced to Para-Badminton in 2007 and I hope that it will come true in Tokyo.”

Bobby Griffin, 2015 World Championship bronze medallist in SL6, said: “Being selected for the squad is a massive step in the right direction and proof that all of my hard work, time, energy and resources that I’ve put in can help me achieve a Paralympic ambition.

“It’s a real honour to be able to be called a GB athlete. If I make it to Tokyo, to compete for GB in a Paralympic Games it will be the highest honour I could ever dream of.”

Stephen Baddeley, Interim Chairman of GB Badminton, said:  “These are a big four years for Para-Badminton as we build up to full Paralympic status in Tokyo. With their performances in Rio, ParalympicsGB has shown to the world the first-class standard of disability sport across Great Britain and I believe this Para-Badminton squad will certainly add to this.

“We have a top quality Para-Badminton coaching network, a brilliant domestic tournament schedule and a set of world class athletes who have the appetite to compete, and win medals, at the highest possible level.
This squad gives me real confidence that we are not only ready for Tokyo 2020 but we will go into the Paralympics with high medal hopes.”

Para-Badminton was granted Paralympic status in October 2014 after six years of lobbying and is one of the fastest growing disability sports on the planet.

The 2015 World Championships staged in Stoke Mandeville – home of the modern Paralympic movement – drew a global entry of over 300 players from 36 nations.

Report courtesy of GB Badminton