Local athlete with Gold medal hopes

Andrew Martin, the England and GB Para-badminton player from Wellington, is on his way to Ulsan, South Korea, for the World Para-Badminton Championships.

It will be his third time competing at the championships; the last two were in England in 2015) and Germany in 2013.

This event has added significance this year as the first World Para-Badminton Championships since the announcement of categories to be included when Para-badminton makes its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. 

At the South Korean World Championships this year Andrew is seeded No.1 in the mixed doubles with his partner Rachel Choong. They are the defending champions in this event as they won the world titles in both 2015 and 2013. Andrew said, “Now we’re going for three in a row which would be a fantastic achievement if we pull it off!”

In the men’s singles, Andrew expects to be seeded be 5th. He said, “I plan to go all the way in this competition as in the previous World Championships I’ve been beaten in the final so, hopefully, it will be 3rd time lucky. In the men’s doubles, I will be partnering a player from the USA and we’ll be aiming to medal in this event.” 

Throughout the championships Andrew will be using social media to provide constant updates on his progress; he will also be posting a link on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to Tournament Software which will give live updates of scores and his match schedule. 

Andrew is raising funds for his Paralympic challenge through his ‘GoFundMe’ page and a collection point in Odette’s Tea Room in the High Street, Wellington.

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