Will Hipwell earns selection for Paralympics GB squad for Tokyo

Will Hipwell will be aiming to emulate the success of Cambridge United after being selected for the Great Britain squad for the Tokyo Olympics.

The 34-year-old has been named as part of a nine-strong boccia team for Paralympics GB and is one of their three debutants at the Games.

Hipwell, who is a season ticket holder at the U’s, has already won gold medals on the European boccia circuit, at the regional open in Madrid in 2018 and the regional open in the Czech Republic in 2019, having teamed up with Claire Taggart and David Smith.

“As a squad, GB won all seven gold medals available across the
different classifications in the Czech Republic! It was fantastic to be part of it and the party afterwards was
a lot of fun,” said Hipwell, who previously played for Impington-based Camboccia and works as an IT technician at the Papworth Trust.

During the pandemic, after his local leisure centre closed, Hipwell needed a socially-distanced training venue so turned to his father’s farm and the trusty grain store.

He also creating a makeshift home gym to maintain his cardiovascular work in order to stay in shape for his first Paralympics.

He added: “I can’t wait to be part of such a big event and to play against the world’s best players.”

Helen Nicholls, Boccia UK’s performance director, said: “The build up to this Paralympic Games has thrown our athletes and the support team so many challenges but they have responded with resilience and determination.

“In this squad, we have experienced, established athletes as well as three players who will be making their first-ever Paralympic appearance.

“With less than 50 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Games, our preparations are on track and we’ll be ready to take on the world’s best boccia players.”