Bradford athletics club take largest ever team to National Para Athletics Championships
Bradford Keighley and Skipton Disability Athletics club took the largest team ever in their history to the National Junior Para Athletics Championships in Coventry last weekend.
From entering four athletes in 2019, their club has gone from strength to strength, with 28 representatives on the starting list this time around. The team picked up a stunning 34 gold medals across two days of action, something head coach Janet Arkwright was delighted about.
“You see the athletes grow in confidence,” she said.
“So as a coach you’re very proud of that. It’s also about more than that, giving all these athletes the opportunity to take part.”
The scale of growth at the club, that even has a waiting list, is not lost on her.
“We’re just inundated, the next big challenge for us is looking for a bigger bus!”
More than 100 young disabled athletes from across England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland competed at the prestigious event. The annual event, held this year at Coventry Athletics Track, Warwick University, welcomed some adults as part of an initiative to create more opportunities for all disabled people to compete.
Also racing at the meet was ParalympicsGB star Kare Adenegan, who was back on track for the first time since the Paris Paralympic Games.
The five-time Paralympic silver medallist was full of praise for all those that took part.
“Its really great to see the talent that’s coming through, it’s good to be able to encourage them and cheer them on,” the 24 year-old said.
“That’s what I really like about this event, it brings together those that have been around quite a while but also those that are coming through. It’s a great celebration of sport.”
The Coventry racer picked up three gold medals in the 100m, 400m and 800m.
“Sadly, there’s not enough races for para-sport, so it’s really important to have an event on a good track , and also to have a variety of events for a variety of classifications. It’s an important part of the calendar for a lot of us.”
Activity Alliance hosts the event, with England Athletics, to ensure that disabled athletes have the opportunity to experience top-class competition. “We were thrilled to once again welcome athletes from across the UK for a fantastic event,” said CEO Adam Blaze.
“Having seen the action first hand, it shows exactly why accessible and inclusive opportunities are so important. The energy across both days was amazing. We celebrated not just those that won a medal, but everyone for taking part.
“We all should feel we belong in sports and activities, and the joy that was on show this weekend highlights exactly why we have to continue to break down barriers disabled people face when trying to be active.”