London 2012 Paralympics: Grey-Thompson Predicts British Struggle

Britain's most successful modern-day Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson insists a partisan home crowd might not be the gateway to automatic success at the London Games.

The Olympic Games saw Team GB athletes inspired by a joyous home crowd and with many tickets for events sold out capacity crowds are again expected to help cheer on ParalympicsGB.

But Grey-Thompson, an 11-time wheelchair racing gold medallist, says overseas athletes are likely to be motivated by the proposition of silencing the British following.

"Every overseas Paralympian wants to beat a British Paralympian on home soil," she said.

"Most countries are envious of the support and funding our athletes enjoy but ParalympicsGB have been preparing well and will give everything they can to win all the medals they can."

The likes of David Weir, Ellie Simmonds and Sarah Story are expected to lead Great Britain's medal hunt this summer

UK Sport and the British Paralympic Association have targeted 103 medals, one more than the team achieved in Beijing where 42 golds, 29 silver and 31 bronze saw them finish second in the medal table.

"There are 16 new countries taking part this time but Britain has hung on in there," Grey Thompson added. "In the early years, when the Paralympics was not a worldwide sporting event, it was easier to be higher up the medal table but second place is still realistic."

With 4,200 athletes from 166 countries and more than 2.4 million tickets sold, the 14<sup>th edition of the Paralympics in London is expected to be the biggest and most successful in history.

"I'm expecting the London Games to be the best Paralympics we have ever seen," Grey Thompson said.

"I think this is the time that the Paralympics will go from something that happens after the Olympics to being a massive worldwide sporting spectacle."

London 2012 chief Paul Deighton said: "We've tried to get as many people in as we reasonably can.

"This is a wonderful illustration of how the British public have said 'we love the Paralympics and want to be part of it'."

Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt added: "For many Brits, this will be the first time they have seen the Paralympic Games at all. It will be a very big moment to really change perceptions and that will be something to be proud of."