Rio 2016 Paralympics: Welsh competitors representing Great Britain

Aled Sion Davies won two medals at the 2016 Paralympic Games in London

There will be 26 Welsh athletes among the 264 ParalympicsGB competitors at the 15th summer Paralympic Games in Rio, which begins with the opening ceremony on Wednesday, 7 September.

Aled Sion Davies, a gold medallist at London 2012, and world champion Hollie Arnold will be the main Welsh hopes in the track and field events.

Aaron Moores is a medal chance in the swimming pool and world number one Rob Davies will be chasing table tennis gold.

At London 2012, Welsh athletes contributed 15 medals to GB's haul and they will be looking for more success this time around.

ARCHERY

NAME: David Phillips

DISCIPLINE: Recurve

DATE OF BIRTH: 22 April, 1966

FROM: Cwmbran

A member of Llantarnam Archery Club, Phillips returned to archery after a 30-year break. He was selected for the GB squad in 2014 and made his international debut at the Para World Ranking Tournament in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic where he secured a gold medal as part of the men's team and a mixed team bronze.

NAME: Jodie Grinham

DISCIPLINE: Open Compund

DATE OF BIRTH: 26 July, 1993

FROM: Crawley (originally from Cardigan)

Having come through the Archery GB national talent development programme, she was selected to join the GB squad in 2014. Her biggest achievement was at the 2015 Para World Ranking Tournament in Nove Mesto, Czech Republic where she won a bronze mixed team medal. Has also competed for the Welsh non-disabled team at the Euronations competition in Ireland and will be making her Paralympic debut at Rio 2016.

ATHLETICS

NAME: Beverley Jones

DISCIPLINE: F37 Shot Put/Discus

DATE OF BIRTH: 17 October, 1974

FROM: Queensferry

Jones will be appearing in her fifth Games in Rio having won her first medal at London 2012. She produced a season's best throw of 30.99m in the F37 Discus to take to win bronze. She also won bronze representing Wales at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

NAME: Jordan Howe

DISCIPLINE: T35 100m & 200m

DATE OF BIRTH: 12 October 1995

FROM: Cardiff

Howe finished seventh in the T35 100m final at London 2012 and was fifth at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha last year. He won bronze medals in both the 100m and 200m at the IPC European Athletics Championships held in Swansea in 2014.

NAME: Hollie Arnold

DISCIPLINE: F46 Javelin

DATE OF BIRTH: 27 May 1994

FROM: Ystrad Mynach

Arnold won gold at the World Championships in Doha in 2015 following on from her success in Lyon two years earlier. She narrowly missed out on a medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games after finishing fourth. The 19-year-old will be taking part in her third Paralympics having been the youngest member of ParalympicsGB at Beijing 2008.

NAME: Kyron Duke

DISCIPLINE: F41 Shot Put & Javelin

DATE OF BIRTH: 12 October 1992

FROM: Cwmbran

A former World Junior champion powerlifter before switching to athletics, Duke finished a respectable fifth and eighth in the shot put and javelin respectively at London 2012. He won silver and bronze in the javelin and shot respectively at the IPC European Championships in Swansea in 2014 and added a javelin bronze the World Championships in Doha a year later.

NAME: Laura Sugar

DISCIPLINE: T44 100m & 200m

DATE OF BIRTH: 7 February 1991

FROM: Cardiff

A former Welsh international hockey player, Sugar switched to para-athletics after London 2012 when, following a discussion with Welsh Hockey's team doctor became aware that her foot condition made her eligible for the Paralympics. She has represented Great Britain in the World and European Championships, with her best achievement being double bronze at the IPC Europeans in Swansea in 2014.

NAME: Aled Sion Davies

DISCIPLINE: F42 Shot Put

DATE OF BIRTH: 24 May, 1991

FROM: Bridgend

Davies made his mark at the London 2012 Paralympic Games winning bronze in the F42/44 shot put before winning gold in the F42 discus with a winning throw of 46.14m. He captained Team Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, securing silver in the mixed-class event F42/44 discus. He won gold in the shot put whilst breaking his own world record three times on his way to another gold in the discus at the IPC World Championships in October 2015.

NAME: Olivia Breen

DISCIPLINE: T38 100m, Long Jump & T35-T38 4 x 100m

DATE OF BIRTH: 26 July 1996

FROM: Liphook, Hampshire (Welsh mother)

Breen won a bronze medal in the T35-T38 4x100m relay at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London and was fourth in the T37/T38 long jump at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. In the same year she secured individual bronze and relay silver at the IPC European Championships in Swansea. At the World Championships she had two fourth place finishes and set a new world record in winning gold in the 4x100m relay - a feat she repeated at the 2016 European Championships.

NAME: Rhys Jones

DISCIPLINE: T37 100m

DATE OF BIRTH: 30 June 1994

FROM: Clydach Vale, Tonypandy

Jones was selected for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, where he set a new personal best. He won bronze in the T37 100m representing Wales at the 2014 Commonwealth Games having returned from injury.

NAME: Stephen Morris

DISCIPLINE: T20 1500m

DATE OF BIRTH: 12 September 1988

FROM: Cardiff

Morris won a gold medal at the Special Olympics World Games in Shanghai and finished sixth in the T20 1500m on his Paralympic debut at London 2012.

NAME: Sabrina Fortune

DISCIPLINE: T20 Shot Put

DATE OF BIRTH: 25 May 1997

FROM: Bryn y Baal, Mold

Having been a member of the Disability Sport Wales Academy, last year's IPC Athletics World Championships in Doha was Fortune's first senior international event representing Great Britain, where she finished a respectable fourth.

JUDO

NAME: Jack Hodgson

DISCIPLINE: +100kg

DATE OF BIRTH: 30 September, 1996

FROM: Gainsborough (originally from Llantwit Major)

Junior World Champion Jack Hodgson will make his Paralympic debut in Rio. Hodgson joined the British Judo Centre of Excellence in September 2015. He won silver at the 2015 World Games in Korea.

ROWING

Rachel Morris won hand-cycling gold at the 2008 Paralympics

NAME: Rachel Morris

DISCIPLINE: Arms Only Scull

DATE OF BIRTH: 25 April 1979

FROM: Farnham (family from Pembrokeshire)

Morris competed in handcycling at two previous Paralympic Games, winning gold at Beijing 2008 and bronze at London 2012. Morris' participation four years ago came despite being involved in a collision with a car during a time trial near her home in Surrey. She subsequently took up rowing and came fifth at the 2014 World Championships in Amsterdam, and won the silver medal at the 2015 World Championships in France, securing her place at the 2016 Paralympics.

SAILING

NAME: Stephen Thomas

DISCIPLINE: Sonar Boat

DATE OF BIRTH: 5 January 1977

FROM: Bridgend

Thomas has competed at three consecutive Paralympics having started sailing with John Robertson in 2003. The Sonar team finished fifth at London 2012. He also represented ParalympicsGB in Ice Sledge Hockey at the Turin 2006 Paralympic Winter Games and also played rugby for Wales at Under-18.

SHOOTING

NAME: Owen Burke

DATE OF BIRTH: 30 November 1975

FROM: Bodelwyddan

Since joining the GB team in 2013, Burke has competed at numerous IPC Shooting World Cup events, with one of the highlights being his fifth-place finish in the R1 10m air rifle standing men SH1 event at Fort Benning, USA in 2015 to secure his Paralympics place.

SWIMMING

NAME: Aaron Moores

DATE OF BIRTH: 16 May 1994

FROM: Swansea

On his Paralympic debut at London 2012, Moores won silver in the 100m backstroke S14 with a time of 1:04.44. He also set a personal best in the 100m breaststroke SB14 with a time of 1:10.46.

TABLE TENNIS

NAME: Paul Davies

DISCIPLINE: Men's Class 1

DATE OF BIRTH: 12 October 1966

FROM: Bridgend

London 2012 was Davies' Paralympics debut, where he secured the individual bronze medal in his class. At the 2013 European Championship he took silver in the men's class 1 singles - losing to great friend and teammate Rob Davies in the final - and then combined with his fellow Welshman to win gold in the team event. He missed the chance to add a World Championship medal to his collection in 2014 and defend his European team title in 2015 through injury.

NAME: Rob Davies

DISCIPLINE: Men's Class 1

DATE OF BIRTH: 14 August 1984

FROM: Brecon

Davies won silver medals in the individual and team events at the European Championships in 2011 before representing ParalympicsGB at London 2012. He became European champion a year later taking gold in the team event as well with fellow Welshman Paul Davies. In the 2014 World Championships in China he reached the final of the men's class 1 singles, but had to settle for silver after a 3-1 loss to the Korean Changho Lee. In December, 2015 he regained the world number one ranking in men's class 1.

NAME: Paul Karabardak

DISCIPLINE: Men's Class 6

DATE OF BIRTH: 3 October 1985

FROM: Swansea

Karabardak was selected to play for the Great Britain Para Table Tennis team at the age of 16 in the European Championships, winning a team bronze medal. He has has since represented GB at World Championships and two Paralympic Games, in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. He failed to progress beyond the group stages of the competition four years ago. He won a bronze medal in the men's 6-7 team event at the World Championships in China. After reclassification as a class 6 athlete he reached the semi-finals of the European Championships in Denmark.

NAME: Sara Head

DISCIPLINE: Women's Class 3

DATE OF BIRTH: 12 April 1980

FROM: Beddau

Head has competed in two Commonwealth Games for Wales and the Paralympic Games in London where she and team-mate Jane Campbell came back from 2-0 down to win the bronze medal in the women's class 1-3 team event. Previously she represented Great Britain in wheelchair basketball in European and World Championships and was reserve for the Sydney Paralympic Games in 2000.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL

NAME: Clare Griffiths

DATE OF BIRTH: 18 September 1979

FROM: Marlow (family from Newport)

The four-time Paralympian made her debut for Great Britain at 1998 World Championships in Sydney and since then the 36-year-old has gone on to earn her place as a core member in the GB Women's team. She has earned seven European bronze medals and won the 2011 BT Paralympic World Cup in Manchester. She became one of the first British women to play basketball overseas when she moved to Italy in September, 2004 to play professionally in the Italian League for Sardinia's Sassari.

NAME: Phil Pratt

DATE OF BIRTH: 2 February 1994

FROM: Cardiff

Pratt is a member of the Cardiff Celts Wheelchair Basketball Club and was one of eight players from the GB Under-22 team to carry the Paralympic flag into the stadium at the London 2012 opening ceremony. Pratt has both a junior and senior European title to his name with Great Britain, having built upon Under-22 gold in 2014 with the senior trophy the following year.

WHEELCHAIR RUGBY

NAME: Jim Roberts

DATE OF BIRTH: 3 September 1987

FROM: Welshpool

Roberts made his Great Britain debut in 2013 at the European Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. He has played on both sides of the Atlantic - for Phoenix Heat in the winter and London WRC in the summer - winning national honours for both teams and gaining recognition as most valuable player at the US Nationals in 2015. At the European Championships in September 2015 Jim was awarded best in class, clinching the winning goal to reclaim the European title after eight years and securing Great Britain a place at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.

CYCLING

NAME: James Ball

DISCIPLINE: B/VI 1km Time Trial

DATE OF BIRTH: 26 June 1991

FROM: Newport

Following years of success with the Disability Sport Wales Academy, Ball switched to cycling from athletics at the end of 2015. He made his debut for the Great Britain Cycling Team at the Manchester Para-cycling International alongside Craig Maclean before being selected for the 2016 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Italy and justified his selection with an excellent bronze medal in the tandem sprint event and a fifth place finish in the kilo.

WHEELCHAIR FENCING

NAME: Gemma Collis

FROM: Buckinghamshire (family from Rhymney valley)

Collis represented Great Britain at her first international competition just 10 months after taking up the sport and competed at the London 2012 Paralympics where she was part of the women's Team Epee, alongside Gabi Down and Justine Moore, and the trio finished eighth. After winning her first two World Cup medals in 2015, she shot up the world rankings, but missed out on selection by one ranking point.