Sneesby to decide Paralympic future

Maidenhead rising star Ben Sneesby admitted he is going to have to choose where his Paralympic future lies after another medal-laden performance at the National Junior Games.

The 15-year-old is equally proficient at basketball as he is skiing, where he finished eighth out of 30 in the slalom at the Winter Games in New Zealand.

And Sneesby showed the full range of his talents at the National Junior Games in Stoke Mandeville last weekend where he won swimming gold, silver and bronze in the 25m backstroke, freestyle and butterfly respectively.

But the Claires Court School pupil revealed he is torn between basketball and skiing in his dream to fulfil his dream of representing GB at the Paralympics in the future.

“I just want to try and get as far as I can in sport and hopefully get to a Paralympics one day,” said Sneesby.

“I am not sure what is going to be my favourite sport but skiing and basketball are the main two at the minute.

“Going to New Zealand for the Winter Games was an absolutely amazing experience. I skied at a few different venues and it was really good.

“Next year I might have to train a little bit less because I will have my GCSE’s and I will need to concentrate on that but the aim is to go to a Paralympics one day.

“I will probably be a bit young for London 2012 but getting to a Paralympics one day is definitely my aim.”

Dame Tanni Grey-Thompson and double Paralympic gold medallist David Weir began their illustrious careers at the National Junior Games at the birthplace of the Paralympics in Stoke Mandeville.

And Sneesby admitted it was a thrill to be given the opportunity to try his hand at a whole host of different sports.

He said: “I just tried as many things as I could at WheelPower to see whether I like them. I really enjoy trying new sports just to see what I like best. 

“I tried shooting, archery, weightlifting and loads of other sports and it was really good fun.”

Aviva supports WheelPower’s National Junior Games as part of its commitment to supporting athletes from the playground to the podium. The Aviva UKA Academy aims to give every child in the UK the opportunity to get involved in athletics by 2012. To find out more visit aviva.co.uk/athletics