Wales’ Jacob Thomas, who represented Great Britain as a teenager at the 2012 London Paralympics, has died aged 25.
The former Ysgol Y Preseli pupil, who was from Bethedsa, was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy shortly after birth.
The genetic condition meant he was confined to a wheelchair for much of his life, but he took up boccia and won a number of international titles at BC3 level.
Athletes throw, kick or use a ramp to propel a ball on to the court with the aim of getting closest to the jack.
Thomas was a gold medallist at the World Student Games in Brazil, took a pairs’ bronze at the European Championships, and bronze and silver in the World Championships in Beijing.
He rose to the top of the world rankings in 2015 and, in 2017, was the Lifetime Achievement winner at the annual Pembrokeshire Sport Awards after retiring from boccia the previous year.
His father Michael, who accompanied him at every competition, thanked the local community for its support.
“Jacob touched so many lives and we have had so many messages. As a family, we would like to thank everyone for supporting us at this difficult time,” he told the Western Telegraph.
“And we also have to express our gratitude to Value Independence in Milford Haven, who took care of Jacob so well.”
Thomas came up against his hero Grigorios Polychronidis at the London Paralympics.
The Greek ace paid tribute to his rival on social media, saying: “You were one of the greatest boccia players and most importantly you were a true gentleman.
“We shared a lot of special moments and matches together. I will always remember the exhibition match we had in Athens, and how excited we both were that we had the opportunity to promote boccia.
“That is where we became true friends. “You will be always remembered by the boccia community.”
