Queenslanders to light up Paralympics

Queensland have sent a 40-strong contingent of elite para-athletes as part of the Australian Team to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics starting on Tuesday 24 August 2021.

Australia will compete in 18 of the 22 sports in the Paralympic program with Queenslanders competing in 12 of those sports ranging from para-swimming with 18 athletes to para-taekwondo with just a single competitor.

Making up more than half of the para-swimming team, 18 Queensland swimmers will descend upon the Tokyo Aquatics Centre with the first medal opportunities coming on day one of the Games.

Familiar faces such as Brenden Hall and Lakiesha Patterson will don the green and gold in the pool with eight Queenslanders preparing for their Games debut.

Para-cycling veteran David Nicholas will start his third Games campaign later in the week at the velodrome while Corey Anderson, Daniel Bounty and Samantha Schmidt will all make their Games debuts in para-athletics.

Rio gold medallist Katie Kelly will kick off the first weekend of the Games lining up for her para-triathlon title defence at Odaiba Marine Park before Joel Coughlan debuts in para-table tennis and on Sunday evening, Wheelchair Rugby will crown their Paralympic champion.

The second week will see the continuation of para-cycling with David Nicholas this time hitting the road and para-shooting where Natalie Smith and Chris Pitt will compete across rifle and pistol events respectively as well as para-archery featuring Taymon Kenton-Smith.

The back end of the week will showcase canoe sprinters Curtis McGrath and Susan Seipel across both kayak and va’a as the women’s goalball comes to head on Friday.

On the final two days of the Games, Janine Watson will make her debut in para-taekwondo in the +58kg category while the wheelchair basketball teams will be hoping to be competing for the gold medal.

The opening ceremony will be the start of the games on Tuesday 24 August running through to the closing ceremony on Sunday 5 September.