Coutya keen to follow Gilliver to Paralympic gold

Coutya sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident when was two years old

British wheelchair fencer Dimitri Coutya says he wants to emulate team-mate Piers Gilliver and land a Paralympic title at this year’s Paris Games.

Coutya, from London, came away from Tokyo in 2021 with team silver and bronze and two individual bronzes.

But having watched Gilliver win Epee A gold in the Japanese capital, Coutya wants to match that achievement in what will be his third Games - with both included in a four-strong Great Britain squad announced on Wednesday alongside Oliver Lam-Watson and Gemma Collis, both of whom also competed in Tokyo.

"Tokyo meant a lot to Piers and to me," the 26-year-old tells BBC Sport.

"When he won that gold medal, there was a huge wave of pride and relief because I knew he had dedicated to his life to those four 15-hit matches, and seeing the joy on his face made me want to experience that too.

"Piers and I started the sport at similar ages and I've seen him as a mentor because he is three years older than me. He has helped teach me a lot - not just about being a fencer, but being an athlete.

"Seeing how he has prepared for Tokyo and Paris has shown me that this is someone who knows what they are doing and I have really taken his advice on board and he is one of the people who has played a huge part in where I am today."

Gilliver's victory in Tokyo gave GB their first Paralympic gold in the sport since 1988

Coutya faces a busy programme in Paris from 3-7 September with three individual events in his category - Epee B, Foil B and Sabre B - and he will also join up with Gilliver and Lam-Watson in the team events.

He took Epee silver and Foil bronze at the World Championships in Italy earlier, and goes into the Games as European champion in both events, but while those results have given him confidence, he knows this will be his toughest competition.

"I have changed quite a lot as an individual from being inexperienced and probably not really ready for Rio eight years ago to being a more experienced athlete in Tokyo, but now I am probably at the best point of my career," he said.

"In Tokyo, I assessed where I was weakest and have made my life all about improving those things - so any mistakes I made there, I'm making sure they won't happen in Paris.

"I'm confident that I am putting myself in the best position to approach events and give myself the best chance of success, but I am not putting pressure on myself.

"I'm really looking forward to going out there, doing what I have been working on and seeing what happens."