Ben Jesson, Crawley

Shooting

"I was completely overwhelmed to find out I had been selected for ParalympicsGB. It feels like a real achievement to reach the Games after being part of the squad for such a relatively short period"

How did you get started?

Maidenblower resident Ben, 26, first took up Shooting in 2006, while studying marine biology at the University of Aberdeen. He took up archery at the same time, and set a British Universities and Colleges Sport record in the novice men's Individual Compound at the 2010 BUCS Outdoor Archery Championships. Ben chose to focus on shooting, however, as he felt it offered him something different and it really captured his interest. He enjoyed the fact that the sport demands the ability to learn self control and mental discipline. Ben joined the national shooting team in March 2011 and his first major competition was the 2011 IPC World Cup in Spain, Alicante.

Greatest achievements

2012 Selection for ParalympicsGB after less than a year of IPC competition

2011 First every IPC world cup tournament

Prospects for 2012

Ben is one of the rising stars of ParalympicGB's burgeoning shooting squad, which has tripled in size since Beijing, with 12 shooters qualifying for the Games. Ben, taking part in his debut Paralympics, will compete in the R6 50m prone rifle SH1 event on 4 September at the Royal Artillery Barracks.

http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/shooting/