Thompson hoping junior success can help on quest for Paralympics

By Tom Masters, Sportsbeat

AMY THOMPSON believes upcoming success on the junior stage can lay the foundations for a tilt at a pair of Paralympic medals at Los Angeles 2028.

Thompson, 15, competes in both discus and shot put, already meeting the qualification distance for the English senior team in the former event and missing out on the discus qualification distance by just 0.03m.

And with a clear long-term goal of featuring at Los Angeles 2028, the Liverpool athlete is certainly on the right path.

In the short-term, Thompson has the World Junior Paralympic Championships in mind, as well as earning a spot on the Youth Talent Programme and a place in the British Athletics Futures Academy.

She said: "I am hoping to get onto the Youth Talent Programme and then British Athletics Futures Academy.

"I am just hoping for that and then, I will work over the winter on training.

"I will do some indoor competitions and then go on to the outdoor season next year."

Thompson is a member of the Aldi's Rising Stars programme, an initiative that supports 20 young athletes by providing a financial award to help with training and competition costs, while also delivering personal development opportunities to many athletes through workshop sessions.

The Merseyside star will turn 18 two weeks before the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, making the trip over the English Channel highly unlikely.

But four years later, a hop across the pond to Los Angeles is more than just a goal for Thompson – instead, a dream in her quest to achieve greatness.

"I just want to go to more international competitions and achieve what I want to," added Thompson.

"Obviously the 2028 Paralympics is my goal.

"I just want to achieve what's best."

As an Aldi Rising Stars athlete, Thompson will receive financial support through Aldi as well as a monthly food voucher to fuel her through training, competitions and hopefully onto future Olympic Games.

After attending a special Taste Kitchen workshop at Aldi HQ in Atherstone, Thompson admits she is extremely appreciative of the sponsorship and the help it will bring for her to fulfil her potential on the big stage.

She added: "I am grateful for it because I did not realise you could get sponsored like that, or supported, being so young.

"It also gives me a lot more opportunities that I would not have had if it wasn't for them.

"It can get me to more competitions and gives me more of a chance to be noticed as well as more people seeing who you are."

Aldi is the Official Supermarket Partner of Team GB and ParalympicsGB and have partnered with Team GB since 2015, ParalympicsGB since 2022 and will be supporting them through to Paris 2024