Daniel Bethell of Great Britain competing in the men's preliminary round at the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Game. GETTY IMAGES

Para-badminton player Daniel Bethell is looking to build on his Tokyo 2020 Paralympics silver medal and go one better by winning gold in Paris. 

Four-time para-badminton European champion Daniel Bethell became Britain's first-ever para-badminton player to win a medal at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo three years ago eventually losing the final to then-top seed Pramod Bhagat on what was Bethell's Paralympic Games debut.

Bethell, one of several Bath-based Paralympians representing Team GB in Paris, has cerebral palsy and first picked up para-badminton after watching it at the Beijing 2028 Paralympic Games.

After his success in Tokyo, he's now intent on outdoing himself and says that his silver medal achievement has "spurred him on" to secure gold in Paris. 

"Getting that gold medal in Paris is the dream. Winning that silver in Tokyo was amazing, it was definitely a fulfilment of a childhood dream," Bethell told BBC. "I remember when I first started playing para-badminton the only thing I wanted was an England tracksuit and I got that about 10 years ago. If I retired and that was all I did, I'd be very happy."

Daniel Bethell of Team Great Britain poses on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Men's Singles SL3 having won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. GETTY IMAGES
Daniel Bethell of Team Great Britain poses on the podium at the medal ceremony for the Men's Singles SL3 having won silver at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. GETTY IMAGES

Growing up playing Tennis Bethell couldn't compete at para-sport level as there was no category for is disability in tennis tournaments and he instead turned to badminton after it caught his eye in 2008. 

"I was amazed by all these athletes with the same disability as me and other disabilities doing these incredible sporting feats. I thought 'wow, that would be so cool to be a part of'," said Bethell. "I started to look up para-sport. It was literally a Google search that I found out about para-badminton. I thought 'OK, it's a racket sport so I've got some hand eye-coordination that might transfer quite well'. I went in and tried it."

Team GB's Daniel Bethell will take on New Zealand's Wojtek Czyz today (29 August), in his opening Group B match in the Men's Para Badminton SL3 singles at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.

Playing at the 8,500-capacity arena will be a far cry from the empty venues he experienced on his silver medal run in Tokyo with the Covid-19 pandemic still at large. 

"I don't think I've played anywhere near a crowd of that size," he said.