Wandsworth Paralympian aiming for fourth consecutive medal at Paris 2024

Aaron, who will turn 33 the day before the opening ceremony, is looking forward to representing Team GB in Table Tennis for the fourth consecutive games. He was born with bilateral talipese (club foot) and competes in the Class 8 singles and class 18 doubles Table Tennis.

Aaron was born and bred in Wandsworth and is keen to inspire other young people to take up sports. He went to local schools growing up - Riversdale Primary, followed by ADT college for secondary education (now Ashcroft Technology Academy). Aaron only started playing Table Tennis properly as a 16-year-old at school. It was a wet break activity when it rained and students were not allowed out in the playground.

Aaron recalls how he first got into Table Tennis:

“My first love was actually tennis. An after-school coach spotted me play one day and said I had talent to take up Table Tennis. I didn’t really see it as a proper sport to be honest. But I soon grew to love it and could see the similarities with tennis.”

Hearing stories about the potential to travel around the world and join international competitions convinced Aaron Table Tennis was something worth pursuing. He joined a club in Tooting Bec called York Gardens and trained with adults.

From there, Aaron started playing in local competitions as well as national grand prix events. He was spotted by talent-scouts and asked if he had considered training for Paralympics trials to represent Team GB at the upcoming London 2012 games.

Despite being born with bilateral talipese, Aaron did not see himself as disabled - something he attributes to being raised in a household where he was encouraged to compete with his peers as an equal from an early age. So, the idea of training for the Paralympics seemed far-fetched at the time.

When he spoke to his family about the opportunity, they reminded him that his dream growing up was to play tennis. Why not now grab this opportunity and pursue Table Tennis. “That clicked with me” said Aaron, “I went up to a talent camp in Sheffield and then soon after I was wearing GB colours for the first time at a competition in Romania. I thought to myself, ‘this is what I want to do!’”

“Qualifications for London 2012 started and I realised I was nowhere near the standard I needed to be. So, I went from training 3 hours a week in Wandsworth to intensive 6-hour days in the national training centre in Sheffield.”

Aaron made the team and won a surprise maiden medal in London. He followed this with bronze at Rio in 2016 and then again at Tokyo 2020.

Aaron recalls his different experiences – “I was very young when I went to my first games in London. It was a home crowd which was great but looking back I was probably a bit too serious. I enjoyed Rio a lot more.  I relaxed and soaked up the atmosphere as much as I could. Table Tennis is huge in Japan so it was a real shame that Tokyo became the ‘Covid games’ and we didn’t get to experience the buzz of the crowd there. But this makes me even more determined to enjoy every minute of Paris.”

Aaron says he is now “proud to say I’ve got a disability”. He recognises how important it is for young people to see local people like him go to the Paralympics. He hopes other young people from Wandsworth will think about taking up a sport this summer, whether they have a disability or not.

“My message to any young person taking up sport is to enjoy yourself. You might want to be a winner but go out there and find something you like doing, that’s the most important thing.

“I’m the person I am because of Table Tennis. It’s taught me discipline, hard work, problem-solving skills, the ability to interact with athletes and coaches. I’ve met people from around the world and learnt about so many different cultures.

“Sport has changed my life and I believe it has the power to do that for everyone!”

Further information

In July, Wandsworth won the ParaGames trophy at the London Youth Games Finals Festival, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. Events included athletics, swimming, football, boccia, and indoor rowing. Wandsworth’s pan-disability team was made up of 76 athletes from ten Wandsworth schools, including Ark Bolingbroke, Burntwood, and Linden Lodge.

The award ceremony for the trophy will take place at the Paralympic Festival on the 28 August at the Tooting Bec athletics track. The event is free and open to the general public. Tickets can be booked via Eventbrite. 

Find out about all of the sports and leisure facilities on offer across Wandsworth.

More local residents are now eligible for free (off-peak) gym, swimming sessions and other sports activities at council leisure and sports centres as part of the council's Access for All scheme.