22 May, 2025

Rising star Anya Butterworth is finally ready for the limelight after a stunning return to the global stage at the 2025 Dubai Para Badminton International.

The 17-year-old from Manchester has been away from the international circuit for the past two years due to injury, exams and Paralympic qualification.

In the meantime, she hasĀ been honing her skills behind the scenes, a tactic that ultimately paid off with a roaring victory at her first competition back on court.

Butterworth beat good friend Nina Kozlova of Ukraine 21-18 21-16 in the women’s SH6 final in what was an emotional triumph for the teenager.

“I’m still on a high from it,” she said. “That was my first international tournament in two years, and it really felt like the training has paid off. I couldn’t have asked for a better tournament.

“I feel like I’ve worked so hard, physically and mentally over the past two years.

“I’ve previously struggled with nerves which affected my game and so to go to this tournament and feel so relaxed was great.

“The final was an incredible match and obviously I am over the moon with the results.

“Afterwards, I switched my phone back on and it just exploded with all these messages. It was the best feeling ever.”

Butterworth saw rapid success in the sport at a young age, first picking up a badminton racket in 2019 after being encouraged by none other than Tim Shephard, the father of two-time Paralympian Jack Shephard.

Three years later, she was on the plane to her first European Championships.

“When I was nine, I joined the Dwarf Sports Association and I entered every sport that I could, including badminton,” she said.

“Tim Shephard, who’s Jack Shephard’s dad, is one of the people who runs the Association and in 2019 he was chatting to my mum about badminton and how they were looking for a lot of female players.

“He introduced me to the UK Championships. I had barely picked up a badminton racket, but me being me, I turned up and have been in the sport since.”

At just 17, Butterworth is now ranked 22nd in the world for women’s SH6 singles and second in England behind Paris 2024 Paralympian Rachel Choong.

But alongside her passion and skill on the court, the young badminton player believes it is her determination to never give up that is the reason behind her continued success.

“Something that sticks out for me is my resilience on court,” she added.

“At the European Championships in 2023, I had one match versus Kozlova and I was down 20-9 in the second set but we ended it 21-18 to her.

“I think that was one of my proudest moments in an international match, showcasing my resilience and not giving in until the umpire says game.”

Like most teenage athletes, Butterworth is currently learning how to balance her time studying for A-Levels with improving her badminton skills.

But when she does find time for herself, the Mancunian admitted that she often turns her hand to the arts and is a regular thespian off the court.

“I’m in first year of college, and even though my weeks basically consist of studying and badminton, I’ve always been into drama,” she said.

“I’ve done a few little productions at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester and I’ve been involved with a few young performing groups.

“I’ve just always liked that creative side and I quite like how it’s different to badminton.”

With the success of Dubai behind her, Butterworth is now turning her attention to the British & Irish Para Badminton InternationalĀ in July this year.

Hosted in Wales, it will mark the first Level One competition that Butterworth has ever competed in and will see her come up against the likes of Choong once more.

And with hopes of competing at the European Championships in September, Butterworth will be using every last drop of confidence from her season opener to continue her upwards trajectory.

“For the rest of this year, it’s just about getting back into the swing of things and playing a variety of players within the top seeds,” she said.

“I have a tournament in Wales coming up and it will be my first Level One, which I’m very excited for, but I feel like it will be a very challenging tournament because of that.

“To see my results pay off in Dubai, I’ve now got the confidence that my training and mental strategy does work.

“I feel very hopeful for the rest of this year going into European Championships so I feel like I’m on a really positive track at the minute.”
Images: Badminton Photo/Anya Butterworth

Recent posts