Rachel Choong endured emotional rollercoaster during Paralympic debut

By James Toney in Paris

Rachel Choong's Paralympic debut was something of a rollercoaster in Paris.

She became the first British woman to complete in para-badminton but was left 'totally gutted' after losing her mixed doubles match with partner Jack Shephard.

The smile was back just over an hour later though as the die-hard Reds fan - who once worked as a chef in the kitchens at Goodison Park - got the chance to meet former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, at the Games to cheer on his close friend Wojtek Czyz.

Choong and Shephard went down 21-14, 21-12 to Indonesia's Subhan Subhan Ina and Rina Marlina though they'll be back in action in their next group game on Friday, now a must-win affair to reach the knockout stages.

Choong, 30, was a commentator three years ago in Tokyo when badminton made its Paralympic debut, her classification not included in the initial programme.

Choong won ten world titles between 2013 and 2019 and arrives in Paris ranked number four in singles and number one in mixed doubles, though the European champion knows how tough the competition is.

“It’s nice that I'll always be the first female to represent ParalympicsGB at para-badminton,” said Choong, who is part of Aldi’s Nearest and Dearest programme in partnership with Team GB, helping to maximise support and minimise potential distractions for athletes so that they can focus on their performance.

"I'm hoping what I do can pave the way. I'm proud to be the first but it's more important that I'm not the last. I want to show women and girls that being a badminton player is possible, they can make a career from it.

"Being a Paralympian is something that I’ve always dreamt of and so many times in my career I thought it would never happen, let alone the possibility of winning medals. I would say that it would be the ultimate dream come true."

In addition to her mixed doubles campaign, Choong will start her singles medal bid at the La Chappelle Arena on Friday. Seeded three, she takes on Peru's Rubi Milagros Fernandez in her opening group match.

"The matches are coming thick and fast, there is no margin for error, I've got to bring my A game to everything now," she added.

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024.