A team of 17 British athletes including reigning world and European men’s class 7 champion Will Bayley, world number 1 Aaron McKibbin in class 8 and Paris 2024 Paralympic medalists Bly Twomey, Rob Davies, Fliss Pickard, Paul Karabardak and Billy Shilton will compete in the ITTF European Para Table Tennis Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden, from November 20 to 25.
Bayley will look to retain his title and claim the European crown for a third time, having first won it in 2011, while Davies will be hoping to regain the men’s Class 1 title which he won four times in a row between 2013 and 2019, before taking silver in 2023.
In contrast, 34-year-old McKibbin will be looking for his first major title after a successful season in which back-to-back gold medals at Elite tournaments in Slovenia and the US have taken him to world number one in the men’s 8 division.
“I had a very good season and that gave me a lot of confidence,” said the 34-year-old Londoner, who now lives in Epsom. “Before I went to the majors I always felt like if I played my A game I would be in the mix and now in the most humble way I feel like if I can show up and play well then I have a real chance to win it.
“It’s obviously always been a dream to win a major championship. I’ve won a singles medal at the World Championships, but I’ve never won a European singles medal and I’ve had a few opportunities that I haven’t taken.”
“I just feel like if I can get fit and get a solid block of training behind me, I know I’ll be very hard to beat. I believe my level is there to be one of the best in the world and I want to prove it to myself more than anything.”
McKibbin will also compete in the Class 18 men’s doubles with Class 9 world number 3 Joshua Stacey, with the pair heading to the European Championships thanks to winning gold in the World Para Elite Spokane tournament in the US.
“Josh and I work so well together,” he said. “We know our roles very well and I understand that if I can bring out the best in Josh, our chances of winning will be much greater.
“I’m really happy with the ugly stuff that doesn’t make the highlights because it pushes Josh to get us the win, so that’s my job. The best thing he does for me is he likes to listen. If I say ‘something isn’t working, let’s try this’, there’s no argument.”
“Our team works very well and that is the most important part of doubles. You can have the two best individual players in the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will be a good team. Being able to work well with each other and adapt your game to your partner is the key and he does that a lot for me, and I do that as much as I can for him.”
Bronze medalist two years ago Fliss Pickard showed her best form in France last week to take gold in the women’s singles class 6, which will also take her to the top of the world rankings in her class. She will compete with 15-year-old Bly Twomey for medals in both singles and doubles.
“This year has been very difficult for me for a number of reasons,” said Pickard, “but I felt like last week I really stepped up and something clicked. Now it’s about preparing as best I can for the Europeans and taking it game by game, point by point, and having the best team around me, that’s all I can ask for.
“I feel that if I use my mentality like last week, my approach should be the best in the world and I believe I can fight for every ball. There are many strong opponents, but I believe I am above that, I just have to keep fighting.”
“It’s really good to play with Bly. She’s obviously a lot younger than me and she brings that sense of fun and naivety and makes sure we have some fun with it. I think it brings the best out of me because we can just play with that freedom and we both have that fighting spirit, so we work really well together.”
BPTT program manager Shaun Marples said: “With this team there are certainly different expectations among the players. Some are going to their first major competition, some are seasoned pros, and with the year we’ve had and especially the last three or four weeks the team is closer than ever and there’s a very clear aim to go out and be a force.
“We have had some changes within the doubles pairings, but I think we have some solid, confirmed partnerships coming in as high seeds now. The experience these players have had together over the last three or four years has put them in good stead for the Europeans, so it is something to aim for and work together to ensure they achieve what they can.
“The athletes and staff have responded really well to the new competition structure introduced this year and it doesn’t matter who you beat, what matters is how far you get in the tournaments.
“It gives people the opportunity to move up the rankings just by being active on the competition calendar and winning matches, so we have learned well as a program. Together with the athletes we will try to shape it even better with regard to the tournaments they participate in next year and in the future, to give themselves the best possible chance for LA in 2028.”
The full British team for the 2025 ITTF European Para Table Tennis Championships is:
Men’s singles:
Class 1: Rob Davies, Tom Matthews; Class 2: Chris Ryan; Class 4-5: Jack Hunter-Spivey; Class 6: Paul Karabardak, Martin Perry; Class 7: Will Bayley, Theo Bishop; Class 8: Ryan Henry, Aaron McKibbin, Billy Shilton; Class 9: Joshua Stacey; Class 10: Shae Thakker
Women’s singles:
Class 4-5: Megan Shackleton; Class 6: Felicity Pickard; Class 7: Bly Twomey; Class 8: Grace Williams
Men’s doubles:
Class 4: Chris Ryan and Tom Matthews; Class 14: Will Bayley & Theo Bishop, Billy Shilton & Paul Karabardak; Class 18: Joshua Stacey & Aaron McKibbin, Shae Thakker & Ryan Henry
Women’s doubles
Class 14: Bly Twomey & Fliss Pickard
Mixed double:
Class 10: Jack Hunter-Spivey & Megan Shackleton; Class 14: Will Bayley & Bly Twomey, Martin Perry & Grace Williams
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