Bly Twomey first picked up a bat when she went along to a summer camp aged 11. Three years later, she was making her Paralympic debut in Paris and winning two bronze medals.
Bly, 14, is from Brighton and has cerebral palsy. She is now one of the youngest members of ParalympicsGB and won bronze medals in August in Paris - one in the Women’s Singles Class 7 event and one with her doubles partner, Fliss Pickard, in the Women's Doubles Class 14.
Nick Kreel, from Brighton Table Tennis, spotted promise in Bly at a summer camp in Moulsecoomb and invited her to the club. At one stage, Bly was invited onto the Paralympic swimming squad, but table tennis was the sport she fell in love with.
Bly says she spends “more time at the club than at home”.
“The club is really supportive," she said. "It's an amazing club. They don’t care about the fact I have a disability – I can do everything anyone else can."
Claire said: “Will always said Bly would go to Paris and I didn’t believe him. She had a ticket to Paris [as a spectator] on her birthday list for years and Will just said – she won’t need a ticket!”
The Cardinal Newman pupil found out she had qualified for Paris the week before her birthday, a discovery she describes as the best “birthday present”.
She said: “It was an incredible atmosphere and a unique experience – I even had the French in the crowd cheering for me. I didn’t think I’d do it, and it brings me hope for the future. I’m hoping to get a gold and teach people that having a disability, you can do anything an able-bodied person can do.
“Will is a massive part of my career – he’s there for me. With him by my side, I can get silvers and golds.”
Para table tennis is categorised into ten classes. Bly was one of only 11 from class 7 in the world to make it to Paris. In the U23 singles for her class, she is now no1 in the world, she is no4 for all ages in the world in singles and no1 for all ages in doubles.
Tim said: “We had 150 people from Brighton supporting at Paris. We raised money for half of the supporting team to go – we had people of all ages and backgrounds, including some who had never left the country before.
“Everyone is so proud of Bly. She is part of the furniture here – sometimes she comes to the club with her homework! When she came back from Paris, she came to the club before even going home.”
There was an important person also rooting for Bly in the crowd – her twin sister Ellis.
“I’m so proud of her”, said Ellis, “she’s done so well.”
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