Table-Tennis Teen

A 14-year-old from Brighton, England, has just had a dream summer. Bly Twomey went to her first Paralympics as one of the youngest members of the British team, and went home with two bronze medals, one in singles, one in doubles.

Bly only started playing table tennis three years ago, at a sports camp for young people with disabilities. She was spotted by Will Bayley, who himself won a silver medal in Paris. Now, not only is Bly a Paralympic medallist, she is also number 2 in England for her age in the able-bodied category.

Bly has cerebral palsy, which in her case particularly affects her right arm and leg. So she plays table tennis with just her left arm. To serve, she throws the ball with her left hand, then hits it with the same hand.

Bly won a doubles bronze with Fliss Pickard, as well as a singles bronze.

Bly's entire family as well as no less than 120 members of her club travelled to Paris to watch her play. Bly's identical twin, Ellis, was in the crowd and couldn't hide her joy. "I feel very proud of her. She’s become a lot more confident and happy about her disability. She used to think of herself as not as good as other people, but now she’s a champion."

An amazing 120 members of Brighton Table Tennis, where Bly trains, travelled to Paris to support her. She said, "All of them were there for me and I’m so thankful for that.”

Bly was already delighted just to make the Paralympic team at such a young age. Now she's already dreaming of Los Angeles 2028. She says, "I’m really proud to represent my country and it has been an amazing experience. It gives me a lot of confidence because I think maybe I could get a gold in the future."

Videos for the class
This BBC video is a profile of Bly from before the Paralympics. It includes her mother, Will Bayley and her headteacher and shows the help Bly receives at school.