23 October 2024
Not many people would want to celebrate with the person who beat them to Paralympic gold, but that is just what Krysten Coombs did.
Coombs upgraded SH6 men’s singles bronze he won in Tokyo to silver in Paris but lost to home favourite and close friend Charles Noakes of France.
The tussle between the two of them became one of the moments of the Games as the pair revelled in the atmosphere at La Chapelle Arena.
They even found time to reflect on their medals together a few days after their final with Coombs also looking back on what para badminton has given him.
“From a young age sport was always something for me, I loved it,” the 33-year-old said.
“I used to swim, play football, play table tennis and I love my other sports now but I think about being able to have this opportunity.
“The day it became a full-time programme and I was able to call myself a full-time athlete was a real dream come true and it has definitely given me so many opportunities.
“I have made friends all over the world – not just teammates I spend day in, day out with – guys like Charles.
“We have been able to have the opportunity of hanging around with them at tournaments and I managed to go and celebrate with him a few days after we won our medals, which was incredible.
“It has made me the person I am today and given me so many opportunities I might not have been able to have if I hadn’t taken up the sport.
Coombs’ return to the UK has seen him take his medal to schools in a hope of inspiring the next generation of sporting stars.
The six-time world medallist was one of three returning ParalympicsGB badminton players, with Rachel Choong joining the squad after her events were added to the Paralympic programme.
And it was Choong, Jack Shephard and fellow silver medallist Dan Bethell with whom Coombs first celebrated his medal immediately after coming off the podium.
He added: “From day one, the day I moved up to Sheffield and the day the full-time programme became a thing, the support we have all had from each other has been incredible.
“It is non-stop, whenever we go to internationals, we are just constantly behind each other.
“On court, me and Jack, to be able to have each other over the last eight years now, training day in, day out, it has been incredible for both of us that we’ve been able to push each other so much.
“I had the medal and so did Dan, but we see that all of us won the medals together which is amazing.
“To have that support from a team around you when we go away, but also the team at home as well.
“I got to celebrate with Jack and everyone else in Paris but then to be able to come home and celebrate with the other staff that everyone doesn’t always see.”
The season has quietened down for England’s para badminton stars, although the National Championships are now firmly on the horizon.
New level unlocked 🥈🔥🤩🇬🇧
What a performance, an inspiration to us all 🙌⭐❤
📸 @badmintonphoto#ParalympicsGB #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/DtHWsl4MhR
— Badminton England (@BadmintonEnglnd) September 3, 2024
That is giving Coombs the chance to consider where his future lies with the cycle for LA to begin in earnest next year.
“In Paris, it was amazing to be able to be part of that moment myself but also to give Para badminton that spotlight is amazing,” Coombs said.
“It is still a new sport in the Paralympics and to come away from the Games with everyone talking about it is just amazing.
“I hope that there are plenty of younger para badminton stars out there or maybe kids who haven’t even taken up a sport yet who can see that and be inspired to maybe have that as their future opportunity as well, that would be incredible.
“The LA cycle is something I haven’t completely stuck to yet; I have got this period now where I can get back into it and see if my love is still there and how it feels.
“The body is getting older, but I was able to prove to myself in Paris that I was clearly in great shape and playing the best badminton I have ever played in my life.
“It is a tricky one to balance up, sometimes age isn’t the problem, but it is a factor that it is another four years of your life.
“Who knows what I’ll be doing in six months but at the moment my head is in to go again.”