RACHEL CHOONG

Rachel Choong made history in Stoke Mandeville - the birthplace of the Paralympics - in 2015 by becoming the first English Para Badminton player to win three titles at a World Championships.

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Rachel was encouraged to join Badminton at the age of six by her sister and father. Always wanted to be a better, stronger badminton player. Growing up, she found it very difficult to keep up with the able-bodied children, especially during their growth spurt. But through encouragement from her family and coach, she strived to continue playing at their level. She then found her love of winning. Today, Rachel is UK and World no 1 player in her classification, training up to 8 hours per week. 

Para Badminton will have its debut in Tokyo 2020. Although Rachel will not be able to compete in the competition due to her classification, she has set her goals to compete at the highest possible level in upcoming international competitions, hoping her events will be included in Paris 2024 Paralympics.

“I love para-badminton because there is not only competitiveness, but there's a huge amount of camaraderie amongst all athletes regardless of country or disability. It's an amazing atmosphere to be in while we get to play the sport we love. There is a mutual respect and understanding between the athletes which is that we have all gone through our own difficulties, but all just want to be the best para-badminton players we can be”

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Rachel’s badminton career is self-funded. Path to Success’s support allows her to attend more tournaments per year. Shortage of funds means she must be very selective in which tournaments she can take part. She is aiming to achieve at least one gold at each tournament.    (photo by Don Hearn).