Two British medal hopefuls will meet each other in Tokyo next week with Jack Shephard and Krysten Coombs drawn in the same Paralympic group.
Shephard and Coombs will face off in Group A of the men’s SS6 competition for athletes with short stature while both will also take on Hong Kong’s Chu Man Kai in a competition that sees six athletes drawn into two groups of three.
The top two from each group will then progress to the semi-finals, with the final the following day.
Shephard is the current world no.1 and arguably the favourite to win the gold medal in Tokyo though Coombs is also among the best in the world, sitting fifth in the rankings.
Chu is world no.3, meaning neither Shephard or Coombs will find it easy to progress in a tough group for all three players.
Badminton is making its long-awaited Paralympic debut in Tokyo, with British fans also able to get behind Martin Rooke and Dan Bethell when action begins.
The draw was made on Thursday for all 14 events in the sport’s programme and Rooke will be going for gold in the men’s singles WH2 category for athletes in a wheelchair with a minor impairment.
Rooke is currently ranked third in the world in his discipline and will hope to challenge for a medal when action starts.
The WH2 category features three groups of three athletes, with semi-finals and then the final after the group stage.
The 48-year-old will be the favourite to progress from his group, where he has been drawn against world no.8 Mai Jian Peng, from China, and Thailand’s Dumnern Junthong, the world no.21.
Bethell is gunning for glory in the men’s singles SL3 category for athletes with a minor lower limb impairment.
The 25-year-old is ranked second in the world in his category and is another genuine medal contender, though he faces a tough group in Tokyo.
He will be up against world no.4 Ukun Rukaendi from Singapore and Japanese home favourite and world no.5 Daisuke Fujihara, with the top two from each group progressing to the semi-finals.
Action will begin on September 1 and you can keep across all the action with daily reports on the Badminton England website.
For Paralympic build-up, check out our diary entries from team leader Mark Beecher and physio Sinead Chambers.
