Dan Bethell was just 14 when he realised his disability ruled him out of his dream career as a tennis player, as the only category in the Paralympics was wheelchair tennis.

So, he Googled, “what sports can I compete at with cerebral palsy” – and “up popped badminton.”

Now, 12 years later, Dan, from Bath, is not only the world’s top para-badminton player but he is about to embark on the gruelling round of qualifiers for the Paris Olympics in 2024.

Dan competes in the SL3 category, which means he plays on one half of a conventional badminton court and has won multiple medals in both men’s singles and men’s doubles.

His medal haul includes three European Championship Gold medals in men’s singles and four World Championship medals including a silver medal in men’s singles at the 2019 World Championships at Basel Switzerland.

However, his greatest achievement to date is becoming the first British badminton player to win a medal at the Paralympics when he won silver in the SL3 Men’s singles at the Tokyo 2020 games.

In 2022 he was undefeated with a record of 21-0, won 4 international titles and became World Number 1 – and, if he passes the 13-month round of qualifiers, he has Paralympic gold in his sights.

“Growing up I played many sports including rugby, tennis, football and cricket,” said Dan, who is currently based at a training centre at Sheffield, ““but racquet sports were always my favourite, with members of my family competing at a high level in tennis.”

“So, I sat on my bed and did a Google search and when badminton came up I thought – because my hand eye coordination is good – it was worth a try,” he said.

Dan joined a badminton club – training and playing alongside able-bodied players – and entered his first competition in 2010.

Alongside his athletic career, he has obtained a law degree and a masters in International Commercial Law from the University of Bristol and is a keen advocate of the benefits of robust mental health and a positive attitude.

“I think I’m proof that if you put your mind to something – and if you really commit to it 100 per cent – then you can do it,” he said.

Ayaz Bhuta MBE was born with Roberts Syndrome; a condition so rare it only affects 150 people worldwide, with most sufferers dying at birth.

Yet, despite the condition, which has restricted Ayaz’ growth to just 3ft 7ins, the 33-year-old, from Bolton, went on to become one of the finest wheelchair rugby players in the country.

He competed at two Paralympic games, became a double European Champion and a Paralympic Gold Medallist at Tokyo 2020 and was awarded an MBE for services to wheelchair rugby.

And Ayaz , whose parents moved to Britain from India in the 1970s, said he has “the British culture of accepting disability” to thank for his success.

“Traditionally, in the Indian culture, there is a different perception to disability,” he said, “and I hope that my achievements will go some way to changing that.”

Ayaz’s childhood years were plagued by hospital visits and major operations, which affected his early education.

But, despite this setback, he was able to graduate from the University of Bolton in 2010 with a degree in Business Information Systems and has gone on to be awarded an honorary doctorate.

His sporting career began, not with rugby, but with wheelchair basketball with the Bury Blue Devils before he was spotted by a wheelchair rugby scout, going on to  amass 158 caps over the course of his career.

During that time he and the GB team also suffered setbacks, losing their funding after finishing fifth at Rio 2016.

“We had to compete without our usual funding and had to source our own funding which was considerably less and we had to scale back,” he saiood.

“But even with this setback we managed to create history during the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games by becoming the first ever European team to win a medal of any colour at the Paralympics in the sport of wheelchair rugby.”

Now, he wants to encourage more people with disabilities within his South Asian community to believe they can achieve anything they want, regardless of the barriers that lie ahead.

Ayaz frequently shares his story through school visits and talks and has formed his own community company AB10 Revolution, which aims to empower and educate by offering bespoke inspirational assemblies and speeches, education on inclusive sport and fun activities for schools, businesses and events.

“I am proof that you can achieve wonderful things even if all the cards have been stacked against you,” said Ayaz, who is also looking forward to coaching at his club team, West Coast Crash.

“There is a part of Indian culture that still treats disabled people as outsiders, to be locked away and almost written off.

“That view is changing slowly and I hope that when other South Asians see what I have achieved and how much support is available for disabled people – from charities, community groups and sporting bodies for example – they will see that anything is possible.”

Now the 24-year-old, from Knutsford, has joined the Marine Conservation Society as an Ocean Ambassador, supporting the charity in its work to change policy and improve pollution levels in Britain’s seas.

Since graduating from the University of Bath in 2020, Sarah’s rise to the top of her sport has been meteoric, ranking fourth on the Pro World Tour in 2021 and second at the World Championships held in October 2022.

During the pandemic, travel restrictions forced her to train in the UK.  However, Sarah found that she was often faced with sewage pollution at sea due to the releasing of a deluge of raw sewage into our seas, which is often made worse during periods of heavy rainfall.

“This being Britain, where rainfall is very high,” she said, “and because I have to train in all weathers, there were some days when I was basically surfing in a sewer.

“That’s not just unpleasant it’s actually health threatening – but it’s opened my eyes to the problem of pollution in our waterways – not just from sewage but from chemicals and plastics, too.”

Now, to raise awareness of ocean pollution and, hopefully, influence a change in policy, Sarah has become an Ocean Ambassador for UK charity the Marine Conservation Society.

The UK-based charity leads the way in calling for initiatives to protect UK and global waters from overfishing, to protect and restore marine life and to limit pollutants – such as sewage and plastics.

“Because I spend so much time on the water – not just in the UK but around the world – I see at very close quarters the damage the human race is inflicting on the marine environment,” said Sarah, “and that’s why I’m supporting the Marine Conservation Society.”

Nicola Greaves, Head of Marketing at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We’re so pleased to have Sarah join our Ocean Ambassador team.

“Untreated sewage is being pumped into our seas for hundreds of thousands of hours each year, putting people, planet and wildlife at risk.

“Sarah sees first-hand the problems that our seas face, and we’re grateful for her raising her awareness of our mission for cleaner, better-protected, healthier seas for everyone to enjoy.”

A group of top athletes is tackling one of the environment’s greatest global emergencies – coral reef loss. It is predicted that by 2050 almost all* the world’s coral will have been lost. However, the race is not over.

Each of these athletes is beating the odds by being a champion on the field, track and in the boxing ring – and now in coral restoration.

The champions on land and in the ocean include double Olympic gold medal sailor Hannah Mills OBE; Commonwealth Games gold medallists Lachlan Moorhead, Eilish McColgan and Sophie Coldwell; England Rugby star Marlie Packer; and Kenyan Rugby 7’s great Collins Injera – all represented by The Athlete Media Group (AMG) sports agency.

Photo: The Kilifi coastline n the Indian Ocean is the area where marine conservation is having a positive impact

AMG has teamed up with leading Indian Ocean conservationist and coastal community advocate, Des Bowden and his team at Oceans Alive to make a big splash in coral conservation.

In 2021 the United Nations declared the Decade of Coral Restoration (2021-2030) and AMG with Oceans Alive are doing their bit to champion the way forward.

A new type of ‘Athletes Village’ is being built through the unique ‘Competing For Coral’ initiative. Every time one of its athletes delivers a world-class performance in their chosen sport, AMG adopts a coral nursery table to help restore damaged coral reefs in Kenya.

AMG is initially supporting 14 coral nursery tables and the planting of 3,360 coral juveniles all thanks to the efforts of its world-class athletes.

AMG’s founder Mark Middlemas said: “Athlete platforms are increasingly important at effecting positive change. Damage to coral reefs is a global ocean emergency and we are pleased to support the Oceans Alive Trust through this unique ‘Competing For Coral’ initiative.”

Oceans Alive works with local communities, government, businesses, financial institutions, the science community and environmental organisations to educate and encourage global awareness to support local action. Oceans Alive also works with Coral Reef Care and Platcorp Foundation to support this critically important work.

Oceans Alive Founder and CEO Des Bowden said AMG’s support was “fantastically important and very much appreciated.” He added: “It is very encouraging to see these athletes committing not only to excellence in their field but positive environmental change as well.”

*Recent studies have revealed that 50% of the world’s coral reefs have already been destroyed, and another 40% could be lost over the next 30 years (Source: Google 2022).

For further information visit www.athletemedia.co.uk

And it wasn’t until the 23-year-old changed her form of contraception that doctors discovered she was suffering from relative energy deficiency in sport – or RED-S – and osteopenia; low bone density.

Caused by an imbalance in energy expenditure and nutrition, RED-S can have serious and occasionally fatal effects on metabolism, menstrual function, bone health, immunity and cardiovascular and psychological health.

Now, Issy, originally from Crickhowell and now living in Cardiff, is seeking to warn others of the little-known condition, which strikes without warning.

“Ironically, at the point I was diagnosed with RED-S I was at my absolute peak, both mentally and physically,” she said. “I was recording personal best times and had just completed my Sports Studies degree at Cardiff Met.

“I was on the slim side at 50kg but I had no idea there was anything wrong until I went to have my contraceptive implant removed

“It was only when my periods, which had stopped, failed to resume, that it became clear there was a problem.

“At first the GP and a specialist gynaecologist put that down to my training regime, but I’d read about RED-S and asked them to investigate the condition and sure enough that’s what it was.

”Now Issy, who is studying for a Master’s Degree and preparing for the European Cup in Morocco later this year, is on medication to increase her oestrogen levels and is waiting for the results of nutrition tests.

“Hopefully this has been caught in time and we can correct any damage that’s been done,” she said, “but the frightening thing is not only that it’s such a silent condition but that it’s still a relatively unknown one.

“I share a house with medics and they aren’t taught about it at medical school – every student should be and particularly sports doctors.

“I just want other athletes, to be aware that if they are keeping up a heavy training schedule they must keep their calorie intake high and if their periods stop for any reason they must ask to be investigated for RED-S.