Paralympics 2024: Kadeena Cox aiming to get GB off to golden start on the track in Paris

The dual-sport athlete from Leeds will focus solely on track cycling at the third Games of her career having excelled on both the bike and as a sprinter across Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.

Cox, who has multiple sclerosis, tore a calf muscle late last year and then suffered a recurrence of the Achilles issues which hindered her athletics performance in Japan, prior to another recent fitness setback.

The 33-year-old could secure her country’s first podium place in France when she goes for a third successive C4-5 women’s time trial title on the opening day of competition on Thursday before attempting to defend the mixed team sprint crown with Jody Cundy and Jaco van Gass on Sunday.

“It feels like it’s been a hard journey to get to this point so I’m really happy to have that selection,” she said.

“Training has been moving in the right direction and I still feel, as much as I’m getting older, I’ve got the capabilities to be able to medal. It’s normally just whether my body is in one piece.

“When you get to a competition, most times you know you’ve done the work and the hard bit’s been done and all you’ve got to do then is go out and show what you’ve done. Competing is the easy bit.”

In addition to her three cycling titles, Cox won 400m gold, 4x100m relay silver and 100m bronze on her Games debut in Brazil.

She subsequently fell agonisingly short on the athletics track three years ago, finishing fourth in the 400m amid tendonitis in both heels and a battle with disordered eating.

“Tokyo is the one that haunts me still a little bit,” she said.

“I know if I’d had a bit more time, I would have been able to do what I needed to.

“As much as I got two golds out there, I probably think more about the fact that I didn’t quite nail it in the athletics.

“It is that one that feels bitter-sweet. I was hoping to rectify that with this Games.

“I’m just a little bit of a fragile athlete. It is unfortunate but it’s the nature of the beast with doing a sport like athletics.”

Leeds-born Cox also had another relapse in her MS, a condition which can affect the brain and spinal cord, last year which weakened the right-hand side of her body.

“I’ve had people tell me that I’ll never be able to do two sports, I’ll never be able to do this, that and the other,” she added.

“And I’m like, ‘cool, let’s do this’, and it just spurs me on that little bit more.

“When there’s pressure there, I just see it as an opportunity to show how great I can be with God’s support.”

Wheelchair rugby captain Gavin Walker, meanwhile, is confident GB are “peaking at the right time” ahead of launching their Paralympic title defence in Paris.

Former firefighter Walker, from Rotherham, made history at Tokyo 2020 as part of the squad which memorably clinched his country’s first gold in the team sport.

Results since the Japanese Games have been mixed during a transitional period made more difficult by rival nations intensifying the competition for major titles.

Yet Walker is optimistic his side, who begin their Group B fixtures on Thursday morning against Australia ahead of taking on Denmark and France on the following two days, will once again be in the medal mix.

“We probably weren’t the favourites going into Tokyo but we had this confidence that we can achieve a gold medal,” the 40-year-old said.

“Things are just coming together at the right time and we believe we can have the same success in Paris. We think it can go our way.

“Saying that, the games this time around are going to be much closer. The top seven teams, arguably eight teams, are so much more competitive than it’s ever been.

“I expect most of the games to be very, very close, so we’ll have to see – all to fight for.

“We’re peaking at the right time, everyone is feeling as though it’s coming together and I’m confident we can put on a great performance.”

Led by joint skippers Walker and Chris Ryan, ParalympicsGB defeated the United States 54-49 in the final three years ago.

Ryan, who has switched sports to table tennis, and the influential Jim Roberts are among those to have subsequently moved on, while seven of the reigning champions remain, in addition to five Games debutants.

Walker, who is being assisted by vice-captain Stuart Robinson, feels the current squad is stronger than the once which triumphed in Tokyo.

“It has taken us three years to rebuild,” said the father of two, who sustained a spinal injury after slipping on wet decking at a family barbecue in 2010.

“The changing athletes, the changing coaching staff, it’s definitely been a work in progress.”