Para Badminton GB: Reflecting on Paris 2024 and the year that followed
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games marked a new chapter for the Para Badminton GB team. With more events entered, medals to defend, and the first female Para Badminton GB athlete going to a Paralympic Games, there was a lot of preparation for the team.
Jill Crompton, Head of Performance Support at the UK Sports Institute [UKSI] for Para Badminton GB, and Richard Morris, Head Coach at Para Badminton GB, reflected on the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games on the anniversary of it starting [28 August 2024] and the year that followed.
Preparing for Paris
Jill described the build-up to Paris as a balancing act of precision and presence: “We were very strategic. We planned it out so that by the time we got to the Paralympic Games, our work was done. We were there to support, not to create noise.”
This philosophy extended across the entire support team. Coaches, physios, and practitioners were encouraged to ‘dial down’ their activity and trust the process.
Jill reflected: “It was about being in the environment without feeling like you had to do anything. Just observe, support, and be confident in the work already done.”
Richard echoed this sentiment: “We made sure all our staff went into Paris fully charged. That planning made all the difference.”
The highs and lows
Both Jill and Richard emphasised the emotional intensity of a Games for both the athletes and the support staff.
Richard was on the court lines for all the matches, experiencing a range of emotions throughout. He said: “People don’t realise how high and how low a Games can be emotionally.
“The disappointment is tough. However, when it goes right, you are so happy for them. It’s a real emotional rollercoaster.”
Jill’s role included supporting a period of decompression for the support staff and athletes post-Games. Jill said: “There was a bit of an emotional decompression that needed to happen, not just physical.
“We let everybody process everything that happened, reflect on it, and then feel like they could almost move forward.”
Richard admitted he struggled with the return to normal life post-Games: “You have no idea how you’re going to come out the other end of a Paralympics.
“You start to live life for that adrenaline, and then you come back and crash. But we had things in place to catch that. We came back together, did some team building and then pushed towards the next tournament.”
The importance of practitioners attending competitions
Speaking with the backdrop of the British & Irish Para Badminton International 2025 in Cardiff, conversations turned to the importance of the UKSI support staff attending competition environments. This included Performance Lifestyle to Strength and Conditioning practitioners.
The competition also marked the first time Stephen Cooper, UKSI Strength and Conditioning Coach and Technical Lead, had travelled with the athletes to a competition.
Richard said: “Having the whole team here has accelerated us to a rate I cannot explain.
“We can be authentic around our opinions and then come up with a plan together.
“We are six months ahead of where we would have been last week because of the conversations and planning that happened in person at the British & Irish Para Badminton International 2025.
“I have said to Jill that I want all my staff to pencil this competition in for the next three years until LA.”
Jill agreed: “It is absolutely brilliant being together in person and cannot be underestimated.
“To have the support staff here and to be able to witness what goes on, how athletes respond, and what the rest of the world looks like when they are competing is invaluable.
“Enabling UKSI support staff to attend these events makes a massive difference when it comes to understanding and connection.
“It will shape the conversations and direction we go in moving forward.”
Legacy and Moving forward
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games were about more than medals for Para Badminton GB.
Jill recalled watching the enthralling final between Krysten Coombs and Charles Novak: “I don’t think anyone minded who won. It was about sportsmanship, camaraderie, and pride.
“My daughter described the match as the best experience of our trip, which says a lot as we had just been to Disneyland Paris!”
Despite losing the SH6 men’s singles final, Krysten Coombs upgraded his Tokyo 2020 bronze to a silver medal in Paris.
Dan Bethell repeated his Tokyo 2020 silver medal in the SL3 men’s singles final, narrowly losing to India’s Kumar Nitesh.
Rachel Choong became the first female Para Badminton GB athlete at the Paralympics, competing in both the SH6 women’s singles and mixed doubles with Jack Shephard. While neither athlete medaled, their presence marked a historic moment for Para Badminton GB.
After the completion of the Paris 2024 Games, focus turns to upcoming tournaments and the LA 2028 Paralympic Games. This is the first full cycle for Para Badminton GB, with the team working harder than ever to meet the ever-changing developments of the sport.
Jill said: “Because it is a fairly new Paralympic sport, internationally, the standard is progressing so much at a really rapid rate
“We are really going after physical development and mindset on court. We have increased our support staff’s time to achieve this, which is exciting, as we want to be a step ahead of everyone else.”