Will Arnott
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 12 March 1999 Reading, Berkshire, England |
| Died | 9 December 2024 (aged 25) Arborfield, England |
| Sport | |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Sport | Boccia |
| Disability class | BC3 |
Will Arnott (12 March 1999 – 9 December 2024) was a British Paralympian who made his Paralympic debut in boccia at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.[1]
Arnott was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of five.[2] He attended Treloar School.[2]
Arnott initially competed in the BC4 classification, but after surgery at the age of 15 was unable to throw anymore so switched to compete in the BC3 classification using a ramp.[2] He first represented the UK Boccia team at 2019 Zagreb Regional Open, where he won a silver medal alongside ramp assistant Connor Wellfare. The pair competed at the 2022 World Championships in Rio de Janeiro where they reached the quarter-finals, but were defeated by the Paralympic Champion Adam Peska of Czech Republic.[3]
In August 2023 he won silver at the European Para Championships in the men's individual competition.[4]
He secured a qualifying spot for the 2024 Paralympics by winning gold in the BC3 Pairs category at the qualifying tournament in Portugal alongside Sally Kidson in March 2024.[1] The pair lost their opening two games, 7–0 to Greece and 4–3 to Peru, but then beat the hosts 4-1 and Singapore 4–1 to reach the semi-finals where they defeated Poland 5–4. In the final they defeated Japan 4–2.[5]
Arnott died on 9 December 2024, at the age of 25,[6][7] while ranked world number 7 and GB number 1.
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Will Arnott Boccia". ParalympicsGB. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ a b c Purcell, Emma (16 August 2024). "Will Arnott: From School Boccia Player To Paralympic Contender". Crip Life. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Will Arnott". UK Boccia. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "European Para Championships: GB's David Smith & Willian Arnott win Boccia silver medals". BBC Sport. 12 August 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ "Paralympics 2024: Will Arnott and Sally Kidson secure boccia spots for Great Britain". 27 March 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ "Remembering Will Arnott". Boccia UK. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.
- ^ "GB Paralympian Arnott dies, aged 25". BBC Sport. 13 December 2024. Retrieved 13 December 2024.