18 June 2015 

The penultimate event of the IPC Grand Prix Series takes place at the Friedrich Ludwig Jahn Sports Park in Berlin between 19-21 June and a large British contingent head to Germany to take on the world’s best para-athletes. 

T35 100m and 200m European champion Maria Lyle (coach: Tabo Huntley) will double up in the sprint events hoping to improve further on her 200m world record of 30.53 which she set in Dubai in February. The 15 year old will have her sights set on extending her 100m record after setting a new lifetime best of 14.37 to win the Northern Championships at Sportcity last weekend. The evergreen Graeme Ballard (Huntley), who also claimed the Northern 100m and 200m titles last weekend, will join Lyle in doubling up in both of the T36 sprint events.

Double world champion Aled Davies (Ryan Spencer-Jones) will be aiming to push the boundaries further with the Welshman just three centimetres off the 16m barrier in the T42 shot put and consistently over the 50m mark in the discus in the early stages of the summer. 

World T46 javelin gold medallist Hollie Arnold (Anthony Hughes) is also on a mission stating on Twitter, "Flying out to Berlin this morning and looking forward to getting out there and having a few days to settle. Then I’ll be ready to smash my third competition of the season." 

Three-time Paralympic F32 club throw champion Stephen Miller (Ros Miller) will be looking to continue his rich vein of form after throwing 32.63m in Stoke Mandeville last month – his furthest throw since 2009, while London 2012 bronze Gemma Prescott (Mike Wood) will line up in the female equivalent with the 31 year old boasting a season’s best of 19.75m.

Also showing early season promise is Sam Ruddock (Jim Edwards), who set a new personal best and British record of 13.13m in the F35 shot put in Bedford last month. The sprinter turned thrower is now thriving in his new event after finishing fifth in the shot put at the IPC European Championships in Swansea last year and all eyes will be on his performance in the Germany city this weekend. 

Double European T44 bronze medallist Laura Sugar (Femi Akinsanya) has already clocked her lifetime best over 200m with a 28.34 showing in Nottwil, Switzerland and will be looking to continue her impressive start to the outdoor campaign. The former Welsh international hockey player will also line up in the long jump, where she will be aiming to get close to the 4.48m jump she set at the Sainsbury’s Anniversary Games last summer.

Triple World Junior gold medallist Polly Maton (Colin Baross) will also make the trip to Berlin, where she will be joined by Amy Wareing (Edwards) and James Arnott (Ryan Freckleton), who will be looking to put in good performances ahead of the next edition of the IWAS World Junior Games in Stadskanaal, Holland next month.

For more information and for a full list of the GB & NI athletes competing at the IPC Grand Prix in Berlin, please visit the official website here