As well-earned celebrations continue to mark GB athlete successes at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the GLL Sport Foundation has been proudly counting the impact of their athlete support programme.
The GLL Sport Foundation (GSF) is the UK’s largest independent athlete support programme and had an impressive group of 42 Paralympic athletes competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games that are either being currently funded or have been previously supported by the GSF programme.
In total, the athletes amassed 39 medals across 36 different Paralympic events.
This included an astonishing total of 16 gold medals. GSF supported Paralympic athletes included Gold Medallists Louise Fiddes, Grace Harvey, Amy Truesdale, Tully Kearney, Giedre Rakauskaite, Daniel Pembroke, Jodie Grinham and Dimitri Coutya.
The GSF is the brain-child of GLL, the largest UK-based charitable social enterprise delivering sport, health and leisure facilities across 250 venues in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In partnership with SportsAid, the Foundation works directly with the established national ‘talent pathways’ of Sport National Governing Bodies. It also works directly with over 60 local authorities and local sports charities who partner the scheme across the UK.
Since its inception in 2008, the GLL Sport Foundation has provided over 28,000 athlete awards totalling over £15m.
Supported GSF Ambassador and Paralympics GB athlete Grace Harvey (pictured) said: "To say that I wanted to become Paralympic Champion, is something that I kept very close to my heart as at times it felt like an unattainable goal.
"Touching the wall first in the 100m Breaststroke and looking up to see number 1 next to my name was incredible. To finish first was testament to all of the years of hard work that not just I but the coaches and other support staff have dedicated to my performance.
"This also includes the amazing financial support from the GLL Sport Foundation."
Peter Bundey, GSF Chair and CEO of GLL stated: "We are delighted that these GSF-supported Paralympic athletes delivered such fantastic medal-winning performances for Great Britain.
"Not only will their success directly inspire future generations to excel in sport but the 'GSF effect' goes significantly further into driving local communities to become more active and engaged in sport and physical activity, thereby, boosting health and wellbeing."
The GLL Sport Foundation is committed to continue its support of athletes and local communities as part of their long term plan - realising the potential of sport to enrich lives.
GSF Patron Sally Gunnell said: "I am absolutely thrilled by the performance of our GSF athletes at the Paris Paralympics.
"These great performances are testament to the hard work, discipline and determination of those individuals who took part.
"The success of Paralympics GB at the Paris Games underlines the continuing relevance of the GSF programme and its focus on widening and deepening opportunities in sport for local communities."
Paris 2024 Paralympic medallists supported by the GLL Sport Foundation:
Name Event Medal
Fran Brown Cycling - Women's C1-3 ITT Silver
Claire Cashmore MBE Triathlon - PTS5 Silver
Dimitri Coutya Fencing - Men's Foil Category B Gold
Dimitri Coutya Fencing - Men's Foil Team Silver
Dimitri Coutya Fencing - Men's Epee Category B Gold
Dimitri Coutya Fencing - Men's Epee Team Bronze
Kadeena Cox OBE Cycling - Mixed team sprint Gold
Aled Davies OBE Athletics - Shot Put F63 Silver
Mari Durward-Akhurst Equestrian - Ind f/style event Gd1 Bronze
David Ellis Triathlon - PTVI Gold
Louise Fiddes Swimming - 100m Freestyle S1 Bronze
Louise Fiddes Swimming - 100m B/stroke SB14 Gold
Ben Fox Men's Wheelchair Basketball Silver
Jodie Grinham Archery - Women's ind c/pound open Bronze
Jodie Grinham Archery - Mixed team compound Gold
Grace Harvey Swimming - 100m Breaststroke SB5 Gold
Blaine Hunt Cycling - Mens C4-5 time trial Silver
Tully Kearney MBE Swimming - 200m Freestyle S5 Gold
Tully Kearney MBE Swimming - 100m Freestyle S5 Gold
Erin Kennedy MBE Rowing - PR3 Mixed coxed four Gold
Anna Nicholson Athletics - Women's Shot Put F35 Bronze
Jim Palmer Men's Wheelchair Basketball Silver
Dan Pembroke MBE Athletics - Javelin F13 Gold
David Phillipson Canoe - Men's Kayak Single 200m KL2 Silver
Daniel Powell Judo - Men 90kg J1 Silver
Benjamin Pritchard Rowing - Men's PR1 Single Sculls Gold
Giedre Rakauskaite MBE Rowing - PR3 Mixed coxed four Gold
Matthew Robertson Cycling - Mens C2 individual pursuit Bronze
Zac Shaw Athletics - Mens 100m T12 Bronze
Zac Shaw Athletics - 4x100m universal relay Silver
Chris Skelley MBE Judo - Men 90kg J2 Bronze
Ali Smith Athletics - 4x100m universal relay Silver
Alice Tai Swimming - 100m Backstroke S8 Gold
Alice Tai Swimming - 200m IM S8 Bronze
Alice Tai Swimming - 400m Freestyle S8 Silver
Alice Tai Swimming - 50m Freestyle S8 Silver
Alice Tai Swimming - 100m Butterfly S8 Bronze
Amy Truesdale Taekwondo - Women's K44 +65kg Gold
Callie-Ann Warrington Swimming - 100m Butterfly S10 Silver
For full details on supported athletes at the Olympic and Paralympic Games and to access details on the 2024/5 athlete application period:
www.gllsportfoundation.org
GLL Sport Foundation Award Partners
The GLL Sport Foundation works in partnership with SportsAid, SportsAid Wales, Mary Peters Trust, Switch The Play and all corporate sponsors to develop the programme, co-ordinate talent identification and national governing body funding recommendations.
