Sport

All the Greater Manchester Team GB athletes to look out for at the Paris 2024 Paralympics

Let's get right behind them.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 29th August 2024

The sporting action isn’t stopping any time soon; the Euros and Summer Games might have passed but now the Paris 2024 Paralympics are upon us and there are plenty more local athletes heading to the competition.

It’s been a fantastic month or so for Team GB and now our para-athletes are set to follow on from their success in the French capital for the next 12 days.

There are a total of 215 Paralympians from Great Britain and Northern Ireland and just over half a dozen of those are either from Greater Manchester or currently based here in the de-facto sporting capital of the UK.

Without further ado, here are the names of nearby that you need to get behind during this year’s Paralympics.

7 Greater Manchester Paralympians to look out for at Paris 2024

Dame Sarah Storey DBE – Stockport – Cycling

Where else to begin than with the most decorated athlete in Paralympic history?

Stopfordian Dame Sarah Storey is one of the most legendary athletes to ever compete in the Games, let alone represent Team GB. With 28 medals to her name, 17 of those being gold, she’s the most decorated Paralympian this nation has ever produced and has been an inspiration for more than three decades.

Having started out her career as a para-swimmer before going on to become a record-breaking cyclist as well – the event she will be sticking to this time around – there are many names that pop into your head before Storey. To say she’s written her own is putting it mildly. Simply iconic.

Stockport Paralympian Dame Sarah Storey unveiled as Visiting Professor of Sport at Manchester Metropolitan University
She received some long overdue local recognition at the start of the year.

Laurie Williams – Manchester – Wheelchair Basketball

Switching to wheelchair basketball, local lass Laurie Williams will be returning to ply her trade on the court once again a decade and a half since her senior debut back in 2009 and 12 years on from her first-ever Paralympics in London.

A busy mum and graduate of multiple degrees amidst becoming one of the stars of Team GB’s wheelchair basketball team, the 32-year-old British-Irish para-athlete has been on the scene for a while now and has also been a big advocate for the LGBTQ+ community.

Competing alongside her partner, fellow basketball star and squad member, Robyn Love (the pair announced their engagement back in 2020), the Manchester-based couple have already seen early success, beating Spain in the opening round and we’re sure this is just the beginning.

laurie williams paralympian
Credit: AJMW (Wikimedia Commons)
laurie williams team gb
Credit: Hawkeye7 (Wiki Commons)
When it comes to Manchester-based Paralympians, there isn’t a story sweeter than Williams and Love’s.

Greg Warburton – Leigh – Wheelchair Basketball

Speaking of teammates, another wheelchair basketball star from Greater Manchester native representing Team GB is Greg Warburton, born and bred over Wigan way in Leigh.

Quite literally one of if not the best wheelchair basketball player in the world after being named MVP at the 2018 World Championships and delighting the sport ever since making his debut at Rio 26, we’re very proud to say the 27-year-old is from around these parts.

From winning a maiden bronze medal at the age of 19 to being a role model for countless other hopefuls looking to join the discipline or become a para-athlete in general, he’s one of the shining lights at this year’s tournament.

Grace Harvey – University of Manchester – Para-swimmer

Next up is a rising star who may have been born over in Hertfordshire but has spent her formative sporting years right here in the city centre: 25-year-old Grace Harvey.

A university student currently doing her Master’s in Dental Public Health whilst balancing her training, the British Para-Swimming National Performance facility based over at the Aquatics Centre on Oxford Road has been her home for several years now, so as far as we’re concerned, she’s one of us.

Despite the challenges that come with her cerebral palsy diagnosis, Harvey notched a phenomenal hat-trick of medals in just her first World Championships in 2022, including a gold in the SB5 100m Breaststroke. She’s one of UoM Sport’s gems and we’re lucky to have her.

Ellie Challis – Manchester – Swimming

On to another honorary Mancunian, she might be Clacton-born but young Ellis Challis is now based in Manchester and after becoming Team GB‘s youngest Paralympic medalist at Tokyo 2020, you better believe we’re claiming her as our own.

Despite only being at the very start of her career and still only aged 20, Challis has been facing obstacles all her life – from her heartbeat stopping for a whole two minutes when she was just 16 months old to living limbless after falling ill with meningitis – but she has never let disability get in her way.

Having an unshakably positive attitude is one of the reasons she was already an inspiration to many even as a teenager, and after smashing her own World Record at the Championships in Madeira just a couple of years ago, she seems destined to keep manifesting her own greatness.

Poppy Maskill – Middlewich – Swimming

Our penultimate Paralympian is the equally promising Poppy Maskill, who hails from just down the road in Middlewich. She may be flying the flag for Cheshire but she’s also representing the incredible calibre of athletes being produced by the National Performance Centre here in Manchester.

Still only a teenager (19), Poppy is a multiple world champion para swimmer in the intellectual impairment category and looks set to continue her incredible start to sporting life at Paris 2024.

Following a stellar 12 months since bursting onto the scene back in 2022, the sky’s the limit for this girl.

Cameron Vearncombe – Manchester – Swimming

Last but not least, we’ve got one more adopted Manc in the form of 0161-based but Bridgwater-born Cameron Vearncombe, a.k.a. ‘ParaCam’.

2024 has been this youngster’s best year to date, having picked up bronze for Team GB in both the 200m medley event and the 100m butterfly at the Paralympic trials back in April, not to mention a trio of medals at the Aberdeen World Series at the start of the season.

Also competing in the intellectual impairment category, Cameron told Great British Life, “I can get very anxious and nervous sometimes” but has lots of help around him from friends, family and coaches, adding: “It would be a dream to get on the podium.”

Greater Manchester Paralympians at Paris 2024
paris 2024 para athletes
As far as Manchester Paralympians go, Cameron is certainly one to keep an eye on.

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And there you have it: seven fantastic Paralympians from Manchester for you to cheer on over the next week or so.

We have every faith they’ll do us Brits proud as the Northerners always do.

You can watch all the events from the 2024 Paris Paralympics live on Channel 4 or on demand via All4.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Bill (via Flickr)/Cameron Vearncombe (via IG)/AJMW(via Wikimedia Commons)

Sport

Kalvin Phillips is reportedly set to be reintegrated into the Manchester City squad

Danny Jones Danny Jones Kalvin Phillips could be brought back into the Man City squad

Long-exiled Manchester City player Kalvin Phillips is reportedly on the verge of being reintegrated into Pep Guardiola’s squad this season.

The ex-Leeds United star, who signed for the Blues back in 2022, has still only made just 16 appearances for the club, but could now be eyeing up a potential renaissance.

Man City have made plenty of signings this year, but with a number of outgoings and several injuries in key positions, it looks like there could be an avenue for the one-time England international to fight his way back into the team.

As per Telegraph Sport‘s Mike McGrath, Kalvin Phillips is set to be reintroduced to City’s 25-man Premier League selection; the question is, can he make it into a first-team XI?

According to McGrath, Phillips will be “given a chance to resurrect his career at the Etihad Stadium” with the meat and potatoes of the 2025/26 campaign still yet to get properly underway.

Now 29, the Yorkshireman is well and truly within the crucial ‘prime’ years as an athlete, and after such an extended period on the sidelines, he’ll be more motivated than anyone to get his career back on track.

The central defensive midfielder – who was formerly considered a key cog in the middle of the park for Leeds – has spent two loan spells away from the Etihad, but neither really worked out for the undeniably talented footballer.

Having joined West Ham for the latter portion of the 23/24 term and spending the last 12 months on loan at struggling Ipswich Town, his time at both clubs was pretty forgettable, punctuated by little more than a couple of unfortunate red cards and more time on the bench.

Speaking to Sky Sports fairly recently, he confessed that the last couple of years have been very difficult and was visibly emotional discussing his struggles since moving to Man City.

It’s also worth noting that Guardiola himself has admitted to feeling “so bad” for Kalvin Phillips’ situation – perhaps why he now looks like he could be given a second chance.

CDM-wise, Rodri and Nico González are considered the go-to options, but Stockport-born Rico Lewis and  Mateo Kovačić have also been used in the role.

Once again, although Man City face somewhat of an injury crisis ahead of the Manchester derby this weekend, any prolonged absences could at least see an opportunity arise for the forgotten man.

What do you make of Kalvin Phillips’ chances of being restored to the Manchester City squad and maybe even putting himself back into national team contention ahead of the World Cup?

Manchester City said no to a pretty significant player swap with Liverpool last year
We often wonder what players’ futures would have looked like if they ended up picking different moves…

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Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshot via YouTube)/pantkiewicz (via Flickr)

Sport

Manchester United are now investigating the curious case of… the missing boots?

Danny Jones Danny Jones Man United Women football boots went missing before game

Manchester United Women have been left with work to do in their Champions League qualifier and might need to have a word with kit staff too, as the administration is now said to be investigating how a bag of boots went missing ahead of the crucial match.

Now this is the sort of stuff you really couldn’t write…

Yes, unbelievably, global footballing giants Man United had to quite literally pop to the shops to buy new football boots after a reported 13-15 pairs were lost before their first leg against Norwegian side, SK Brann Kvinner.

As per the likes of The Athletic and The Guardian‘s women’s football writer, Tom Garry, the majority of the players were left without anything to play in, resulting in the travelling squad having to go and buy replacements.

Citing Reuters as his primary source, Garry detailed how a bag containing several players’ boots disappeared during the journey to the game in Bergen on Thursday evening.

As a result, United are now investigating exactly how the boots went missing.

Marc Skinner’s side went on to lose the game by a single goal scored a quarter of an hour from the end in the third qualifying round, but remain confident they can turn the tide in the decisive knockout tie upon returning home to Leigh Sports Village on 18 September.

They are said to have arrived at a local shop, Torshov Sport, around three hours before kick-off (4:30pm local time), grabbing 15 pairs of boots and 20 sets of shin pads in total. Speaking to BBC Sport, owner Andre Gullord said they paid nearly £4,000 for the last-minute kit haul.

“We are a big store, but they were very lucky we had enough boots in stock that were the right size”, he said, adding that “they paid between £200 and £230 for each pair of boots and £30 for the shin guards.”

Quipping that they catered to the odd native player in the past but never a full team, he went on to joke: “Maybe we should have told them we only had boots with no studs to help the local team!”

It does give frantic pre-match Sunday league antics, doesn’t it?

Many supporters have found it hard to believe how a sporting organisation as huge as the Red Devils can find itself in such unlikely circumstances.

Then again, unexpected and as yet inexplicable stuff like this can happen to anyone – even a sporting franchise as established and well-staffed as Manchester United.

MUWFC chartered a group flight to the game this week after the club recently came under fire for leaving players to pay for their own travel back from their previous European fixture in Sweden at the start of the month.

It wasn’t all chaos and frustration, though; not only was it a record-breaking night in terms of attendance, but another plus was the midfield play from new signing Jess Park, who joined in a sensational swap deal with rivals Man City on deadline day. You can see the highlights from the game HERE.

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Featured Images — MUTV (screenshot via YouTube)/adidas/Manchester United (publicity pictures)

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