Hamilton boccia star Steph McGuire is aiming for a podium finish at the European Championships in Spain, as he bids to put the Tokyo Paralympics behind him.
Fresh from winning the Scottish Championships last month, McGuire heads to Seville eyeing a seventh final place in the last six years, as he competes in singles and pairs.
The Euros take place from November 22 to December 1, and it will be the first outing for the GB squad since Tokyo. It will also be one of the first competitions to launch separate events for men and women.
They will hope to measure up to their medals tally in 2019, when every British athlete earned a place on the podium.
For McGuire, the competition in Seville is a special one and he’s looking forward to bouncing back, having failed to get out of the group stages at the Paralympics.
He said: “I’m very excited. It is an event in the calendar which we all look forward to and it has come around so quickly after Tokyo.
“I have special memories of the Europeans because it was my very first tournament for the British squad 17 years ago.
“From the last five European Championships, I’ve reached six finals so it’s definitely a highlight of the calendar for me.
“We have a great squad with a mix of developing and established athletes.
“In 2019, the entire squad returned home with a medal. I was thrilled to win silver as part of the BC4 Pair.”
The squad also includes triple Paralympic gold medallist David Smith MBE, Claire Taggart, Will Arnott, Beth Moulam, Scott McCowan and Louis Saunders.
Maguire added: “The competition will be tough and reigning champions Slovakia will no doubt go there as favourites. But we’ll focus on ourselves and hopefully we reach the podium.”
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