Pickard ready for challenge of Czechia and China

Paris 2024 Paralympic medallists Fliss Pickard, Will Bayley, Paul Karabardak and Billy Shilton are included in a squad of 13 British athletes that will travel to China next week for the ITTF World Para Elite Beijing tournament that runs from June 24-28. Also hoping to boost their chances of qualification for the World Championships in Thailand later this year are Theo Bishop, Tom Matthews, Martin Perry, Chris Ryan and Grace Williams, who all took singles medals at last year’s European Championships, and 2022 World medallists Aaron McKibbin and Joshua Stacey.

Pickard is also included in a squad of 10 athletes for this week’s ITTF World Para Future Ostrava in Czechia (June 18-20) and the World doubles champion from Burnley is hoping to continue her successful 2026 season, having taken singles medals in women’s class 6 at all five tournaments including silver in both Challenger and Elite events in Slovenia last month.

“I can be really pleased with the way I’m playing,” said Pickard. “I’ve shown a lot of consistency and obviously there is still a lot to work on, but I think I’ve really hit this season head on and played with a lot more confidence than I have in previous seasons. It is going to have its own challenges going from Czechia to China with the mental pressure of back-to-back tournaments as well as all the travelling and the time difference but back-to-back tournaments seem to work well for me – I enjoy playing and I enjoy being in that atmosphere so hopefully I can use it to my advantage.

“The competition in Czechia is going to be just as tough as China and that’s the reason I chose to go. I want to play the top players as often as possible to get exposure to them in the hope that when it comes to the World Championships I can go on to the table confident in what I need to do, and I’ve got a plan in place for each one of them.”

The full British squad for the ITTF World Para Future Ostrava 2026 is:
Nathan Drayner, 33, Bolsover (class 1)
Max Flint, 21, Guildford/Loughborough (class 10)
Ryan Henry, 25, Ardrossan/Sheffield (class 8)
Thomas Hepburn, 21, Weymouth (class 5)
Lowri Hurd, 18, Grantham (class 9)
Felicity Pickard, 31, Burnley/Sheffield (class 6)
Bailey Page, 19, Plymouth (class 7)
Neil Robinson, 67, Bridgend (class 3)
Shae Thakker, 22, High Wycombe/Sheffield (class 10)
Daniel Thomson, 21, Brighton/Sheffield (class 6)

The full British squad for the ITTF World Para Elite Beijing 2026 is:
Will Bayley, 37, Tunbridge Wells/Brighton (class 7)
Theo Bishop, 22, Rawtenstall/Sheffield (class 7)
Jack Hunter-Spivey, 31, Liverpool/Sheffield (class 5)
Lowri Hurd, 18, Grantham (class 9)
Paul Karabardak, 40, Swansea (class 6)
Tom Matthews, 33, Aberdare (class 1)
Aaron McKibbin, 34, London (Wandsworth)/Epsom (class 8)
Martin Perry, 32, Paisley/Dumbarton (class 6)
Felicity Pickard, 31, Burnley/Sheffield (class 6)
Chris Ryan, 34, Welwyn Garden City (class 2)
Billy Shilton, 26, Stonehouse (Gloucester)/Sheffield (class 8)
Joshua Stacey, 26, Cardiff/Sheffield (class 9)
Grace Williams, 23, Llanfyllin/Sheffield (class 8)