ParalympicsGB has today confirmed that archer Dave Phillips has been selected to represent Great Britain at the rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games this summer.
Phillips will join the four other members of the squad named so far – Paralympic gold medallists Jess Stretton and John Stubbs, along with Nathan MacQueen and Hazel Chaisty.
Although Phillips earnt his spot at the 2019 World Para-archery Championships in the Netherlands, his place on the team could not be confirmed until after classification was completed – meaning he wasn’t included as part of the archery team announcement back in April.
But following confirmed classification in Lausanne last month his inclusion in the team can now be announced.
Commenting on the announcement, Phillips said: “Not being able to tell people has been a bit overwhelming as it’s been nearly two years since I qualified.
“But I’m a glass half full person and because of Covid I’ve had 365 days more to prepare.”
Phillips spent most of 2020 shielding at his home in Cwmbran, Wales meaning he couldn’t train with his teammates at the National Sports Centre at Lilleshall.
He set up a home gym in his conservatory and joined regular virtual chats to maintain his training. Although not seeing his new grandchild or his father was especially hard, he had enjoyed spending extra time with his wife of 34 years.
Phillips is now focussed on Tokyo and says he’s learnt a lot since he competed at Rio where he finished fifth as part of the mixed team.
“Archery is a sport of repetition so I know I need to stick to the process and with skill and a bit of luck I hope to bring home a medal,” he added.
Tokyo 2020 Chef de Mission Penny Briscoe said: “I am delighted to confirm Dave’s selection to ParalympicsGB.
“A massive congratulations and welcome to the team Dave!
“With five archers now confirmed for Tokyo 2020 we can’t wait to see the whole squad perform on the world stage.”
Paralympic Team Leader Tom Duggan said: “I’m delighted that we are now able to announce Dave as our fifth archer following his classification re-evaluation.
“Dave has worked hard to achieve selection over the past two years and I know he will be raring to go in Tokyo.”
Archery’s final Qualifying Tournament for the Paralympic Games is scheduled to take place in July with a number of British athletes still looking to secure a spot in the ParalympicsGB team.
A total of around 240 athletes from 19 sports are expected to make up the British team that will compete in Japan, with further names to be announced in the coming months.
ParalympicsGB captured the imagination of the British public at London 2012 winning 120 medals in front of sell-out crowds with countless memorable performances.
The team eclipsed that performance at Rio 2016 winning an outstanding 147 medals including 64 golds to finish second in the overall medal table. The rescheduled Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games will be staged from 24 August to 5 September 2021.
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