Bonn, Feb 15, 2018: Twelve field athletes have been named on the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) Ones to Watch list for the upcoming Para athletics season, which will kick off on 13 March with the first Grand Prix in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (Watch field athletes).
Selected by World Para Athletics, the Ones to Watch athletes are individuals who have the potential to make headlines this season.
The list includes world and Paralympic champions who stood out at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and London 2017 World Championships.
The Ones to Watch list for distance racers and sprinters have already been announced.
Full biographies of the Ones to Watch for Para athletics are now available here https://www.paralympic.org/athletics/athletes/ones-to-watch.
Diana Dadzite, LAT
Dadzite was the most successful field eventer at the London 2017 World Championships, winning three gold medals. The Latvian won the shot put F55, discus F55 and javelin F56 in the London Stadium, setting a new javelin F55 world record in the process.
Aled Davies, GBR
Davies won the shot put and discus F42 at London 2017 – notching up a hat trick of golden doubles after he also topped the podium in both events at the previous two World Championships.
Sam Grewe, USA
Grewe first leapt in to the spotlight in 2015 when he won the high jump T42 world title at just 17 years old and defended that world title in London last year.
Niko Kappel, GER
Germany’s charismatic thrower only stepped up to senior international competition in 2015 – but within two years he was a Paralympic and world champion in the shot put F41.
Noelle Lenihan, IRE
The Irish thrower was only 15 years old when she became a world silver medallist and world record holder at Doha 2015. In London last year, she clinched discus F38 silver with a championship record throw, just 2cm shy of her own world record.
Thiago Paulino Santos, BRA
Santos won double gold in the shot put and discus F57 at London 2017, getting the better of defending world champion Wu Guoshan of China.
Markus Rehm, GER
When it comes to the men’s long jump T44, Rehm is in a class of his own. The German has dominated the event since winning the world title in 2011 and consistently leaps more than a metre clear of his rivals.
Akeem Stewart, TTO
The Tobago man set new F43 world records in both the javelin and shot put on his way to victory at the 2017 World Championships.
Raoua Tlili, TUN
Tlili notched up her sixth world title at London 2017, completing the ‘double double’ as she safely defended her shot put and discus F41 titles from Doha 2015.
Roderick Townsend-Roberts, USA
The talented multi-eventer leapt to gold at London 2017, winning with a championship record clearance of 2.10m before bowing out at a new world record attempt of 2.15m.
Liwan Yang, CHN
London 2017 was Yang’s most successful World Championships to date. After winning two silver medals at Lyon 2013, then shot put F54 gold and javelin F54 silver at Doha 2015, she finally struck double gold at London 2017.
Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli, MAS
At the London 2017 World Championships, Zolkefli’s opening round effort of 17.29m smashed his previous world record mark set when he won gold at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and proved enough to seal his second world title. —- IPC
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