Plymouth’s wheelchair tennis star Esperanza Merry will travel to the Rio Paralympic Games this September as part of the British Paralympic Association’s (BPA) Paralympic Inspiration Programme.
The 15-year-old is one of two players on the Tennis Foundation’s World Class Programme who will benefit from the initiative. Merry joins 22-year old Dermot Bailey and 21-year-old James Shaw on the plane to Rio.
Currently ranked world No. 56 after reaching a career best No. 37 in 2015, Merry missed the cut for the ParalympicsGB wheelchair tennis team. However, having already represented her country and junior and senior level at the sport’s World Team Cup, she will instead witness at first hand the sights and sounds of the Rio Paralympics thanks to the Inspiration Programme, which aims to provide athletes and coaches with knowledge and experience to help prepare them for future Games as they continue to work towards becoming a selected athlete.
Athletes were nominated for the programme by the Tennis Foundation based on a number of criteria including being on a performance pathway with an anticipated trajectory for the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Merry said: “I am delighted to be selected for the Paralympic Inspiration Programme. It will be a fantastic experience to go to Rio and learn so much about how a Games works. We recently had the launch of the programme and it was really great to meet all the other athletes. I’m really looking forward to the week and know I am going to learn a lot, and also be so inspired by the athletes competing. I would like to thank the Tennis Foundation and the BPA for this amazing opportunity.”
The programme was first launched for London 2012 and aims to inspire and excite potential Paralympians. During their week in Rio athletes and coaches will experience all aspects of a Paralympics, including the Village, the media spotlight and mixed zone. Athletes will also take part in a curriculum outside the Games and alongside their normal training, with lessons about nutrition, media, anti-doping, competition planning and goal setting.
Merry, who only took up wheelchair tennis in 2012, is regarded as one of the country’s brightest young prospects and made her senior Great Britain women’s team debut at this year’s World Team Cup in Tokyo, which was held at the same tennis venue that will be used for the 2020 Games. In 2013 she was a member of the gold medal-winning GB junior team at the World Team Cup in Turkey.