Rachel Choong Paris 2024 1200

22 August 2024

Rachel Choong has gone from almost giving up Para badminton to becoming ParalympicsGB’s first-ever female player in the sport.

The 30-year-old missed out on Para badminton’s Paralympic debut with her classification not in the programme at Tokyo 2020.

But for Paris, they are, and she has been sharing her journey to her first Games with Channel 4, the official UK Paralympic broadcaster.

“Going to the Paralympics as an athlete is something that I’ve dreamt of for a very long time,” Choong said in the short documentary Paris 2024 Paralympics – Meet the Athletes.

“I remember when I first started Para badminton, we weren’t even a Paralympic sport. Even still, I was always hopeful, that one day I would be a Paralympian playing Para badminton.

“Prior to that, I was competing internationally and it was all self-funded and I was trying to balance a full-time job and travelling the world competing and training was very difficult.

“Para badminton made its Paralympic debut in Tokyo but unfortunately, the events that I compete in weren’t included in the Tokyo programme.

“It was really, really difficult knowing everyone else got the opportunity to at least try to qualify for Tokyo and I knew that I had no chance.

“The sport was becoming more professional then as countries were getting funding from their federations and there was me still trying to self-fund. I was on the cusp of giving up on badminton really.”

Choong is one of 13 athletes featured in the 12 short documentaries made by Channel 4 ahead of the Games, with 12 Paralympic sports covered.

The Liverpudlian was at the Tokyo Games but working in commentary as Dan Bethell and Krysten Coombs won ParalympicsGB’s first medals in the sport.

Choong will compete in the SH6 women’s singles and mixed doubles, the latter alongside Jack Shephard, who competed in Tokyo.

The pair are both searching for their first Paralympic medals and are in great form having rocketed up to World No.1 in the mixed doubles rankings after Shephard’s return from injury.

She added: “I got a call from my head coach Richard Morris to say that SH6 women’s singles and mixed doubles were included for the Paris Paralympic Games.

“Not being able to go to Tokyo was so difficult for me so Paris will be very special. I had almost given up on that dream.

“When you are passionate about something, you know how much you need to give it and invest in it and the skill, the drive and the hard work.

“And on to get on that stage, the Paralympics, it only comes around every four years, to get there and all of a sudden your life is culminating to this one moment, it is something to recognise and admire.”

The Paralympics begin on 28 August with full coverage on Channel 4 with the badminton beginning the next day.

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