Team GB Paralympic Profiles - Rhys Jones

Rhys Jones is next up for our profiles. He is a sprinter from Pontypridd (South Wales) and is looking forward to the adventure of Rio 2016. At 22 years of age, he will be competing in the 100m event for athletes with coordination impairments in one half of their bodies.

At 2 years old, Rhys contracted viral encephalitis, spending 10 days in a coma. After emerging from the coma, Rhys has no movement in the left side of his body. The prognosis didn’t look good, but after years of support, determination and physiotherapy, he slowly improved. Initially he joined a disability football team, where the coach recommended him to Disability Sport Wales. After joining the program in 2008, he has progressed to the World Class program.

After starting athletics in 2009, he worked his way into Team GB and earned a spot at London 2012. Only 18 at the time, he finished 8^th overall. More recently, Rhys has faced several injury problems but has regained fitness, winning bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and also on home turf at the European Championships in Swansea.