British Athletics names 41 athletes for Paralympic World Class Programme

British Athletics has announced the 41 athletes included in its Paralympic World Class Programme for 2025-26.

The WCP is funded by UK Sport’s National Lottery-backed initiative and supports athletes preparing for major international championships, including the Paralympic Games.

Three athletes – Melanie Woods, Lydia Church and Nathan Maguire – have been promoted to the podium level, the highest of three funding tiers.

Woods won two bronze medals for Great Britain at the World Para Athletics Championships in New Delhi this year with the 31-year-old Scot claiming her first world medals in the women’s T54 1500m and T54 800m.

Church and Maguire also won bronze medals at the World Championships in women’s F12 shot put and men’s T54 1500m respectively.

Five reigning world champions have been included, with Hannah Cockroft, Aled Sion Davies, Daniel Pembroke and Sabrina Fortune making the podium level and women’s T44 100m gold medallist Victoria Levitt in the third-tier Paralympic confirmation list.

However, 2020 Paralympic champion Owen Miller, who missed the chance to defend his title in men’s T20 1500m at the 2024 Games because of an injury, has not been included in this year’s programme.

Didi Okoh, women’s T63 100m bronze medallist at the worlds and 2024 Paralympics, is promoted to the second-tier podium potential list while Bree Cronin, Dan Gladman, Bebe Jackson, Jade Hall, Finlay Menzies and Arthur Milles are also added at the Paralympic confirmation level.

Katie Jones, head of UK Athletics’ (UKA) Paralympic programme, said it will help “continue building momentum as we work towards the LA 2028 Paralympic Games and beyond”.

Great Britain won seven gold, five silver and 13 bronze medals to finish seventh at the World Para Athletics Championships 2025.