Macclesfield: Meet the Bollington faces at the Tokyo Paralympics

By Alex Greensmith

24th Aug 2021 | Local Sport

The delayed Tokyo Paralympics start today, and will finish on September 5.

And as well as Macclesfield's wheelchair tennis player Antony Cotterill, there is also more Paralympic athletes from the Macclesfield area.

There are three people from Bollington who have flew to Tokyo to play a part in the 16th Paralympics.

There are two athletes and one coach from Bollington taking place in the second summer Paralympics to take place in Japan.

Libby Clegg

Libby Clegg MBE is the best-known sportsperson from the Happy Valley who is competing.

The double Paralympic Champion won Gold in Rio at the 100m T11 and 200m.

The 31-year-old started her running career age 9 with Macclesfield Harriers AC. Her first Olympics was Beijing 2008, where she took a silver medal. She also came second at London 2012.

The Paralympic record holder has only peripheral vision in her left eye, and is legally blind.

Her sight has gotten worse during her career, so she wears a blindfold when racing.

London-born sprinter Chris Clarke, who is also 31, is her guide runner. Together, they will hope to secure her Clegg's fifth Paralympic medal from September 2.

Clegg, who identifies as Scottish, was born in Stockport and raised in Bollington with her athletic siblings.

In 2020, she became the first blind person to take part in ITV's long-running series Dancing on Ice. The show helped her keep fit when COVID-19 cancelled many sporting events. The Bollingtonian finished third in the talent show, and will hope to finish in the Top 3 again in the athletics at Tokyo.

Libby has over 27,000 followers on social media.

Libby's partner Dan Powell, who she has a son with, will be competing in the judo. Her brother will also be competing in the games.

Stephen Clegg

Speaking of, Libby's younger brother Stephen is a Paralympian in his own right, and will compete at Tokyo 2020.

The 25-year-old swimmer will compete in the S12 Men's 100m Freestyle, Men's 100m Backstroke, and Men's 100m Butterfly.

Stephen started para swimming in 2014. He also suffers from Stargardt disease, the same condition as his sister. He competed in four events in Rio 2016, with a best finish of fifth place.

The Bollington-raised athlete has won medals at World and European Championships in the years since Brazil, so a Paralympic Medal seems likely.

When he is not in the water, Stephen enjoys climbing and spending time in Edinburgh. The world record holder can be followed on Instagram and Twitter.

Stephen and Libby also have a swimmer brother called James, who won Bronze at London 2012.

Lauren Jocelyn

Lauren Jocelyn, who currently lives in Bollington but works in Prestbury, is the only coach from our area taking part in Tokyo.

The swimming teacher from King's School Macclesfield will support Team GB's swimming team, including Stephen Clegg, having been selected to fly to Asia just a matter of weeks ago.

The 36-year-old mum of one, who also has Scottish connections, joined British Para-Swimming's coaching set up in 2017.

She was appointed as Lead Swimming Teacher at the new King's Macc swimming pool earlier this year.

Fingers crossed she can help all Team GB medallists bring home medals.

You can follow Lauren on Twitter.

Following Macclesfield's Karriss Artingstall taking Bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, it is the Paralympians turn to spotlight the Macclesfield area on the global stage.

Macclesfield Nub News wishes them all well with the opening ceremony of the games today.

Please sign up for our Friday weekly newsletter containing each week's top 10 Macclesfield and Bollington news stories, and one FREE exclusive article. 450 of you have signed up already.

Simply enter your email address into the shaded box below.

Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Macclesfield Nub News is a quality online newspaper which produces 25-30 stories a week for our town.

You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter.