Kent pair are off to Tokyo

Table tennis

Will Bayley and Ross Wilson have both had their place at the Summer Paralympic Games confirmed. Paralympic champion Bayley, from Tunbridge Wells, and world champion Wilson from Minster are among nine players to have received news of their selection for the Games which get under way on August 24, 2021. The nine players have been confirmed by the International Table Tennis Federation by virtue of their world ranking at the end of March 2020 or their status as regional champion. Wilson, who claimed bronze at London 2012, tweeted: “It’s an extraordinary feeling to have qualified for Tokyo! “Words can’t describe how much I put in to this sport and how much it means to me. I’m proud of the team and look forward to representing Great Britain.” Bayley was a gold medalist in Rio 2016 and also a silver medalist at London in 2012. Selection of the nine players for the Paralympic Games still has to be confirmed by the British Paralympic Association and the full team for Tokyo will not be announced until the beginning of May 2021. BPTT performance director Gorazd Vecko said: “The qualification criteria for Tokyo is even tougher than in previous years and to have the second highest number of players already qualified in Europe and the sixth in the world is something we should be proud of.”

Athletics

The Ashford & District RRC Lockdown League is over but a one-off 10 mile run kept runners competitive. Laurence Teeling was the fastest over the distance with the A&D Road Running Club athlete coming home in a time of 1:00.26. Leading the female runners home was Invicta East Kent’s Sarah Gruber in 1:06.36. There were 11 different clubs represented in the top 12 positions. Finishing behind Teeling in second was a competitor from further afield, with Isle of Wight Road Runners’ Ross Wilkes runner-up in 1:02.36. Taking third was Virtually Last’s James Brooke (1:05.05). Leading runners included Alun Rodgers (Medway & Maidstone 1:05.12),

Jon Eaton (South Kent Harriers 1:06.46), Henry Cox (Canterbury Harriers 1:06.59), Tim Warren (Folkestone RC 1:08.53) and Andrew Edwards (Virtually Last 1:10.03).