Jack Wilson has a mountain to climb.

The 30-year-old from Wrexham is a rising star in the world of para-badminton in the SU5 category – for athletes with upper limb impairments – having been born without his lower right arm.

“We don’t really know what the cause was,” Wilson says.

“There was no family history – just a random one!”

At the Paris 2024 Paralympics, only eight athletes competed in his SU5 category, six of which hailed from East Asian nations such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, and Chinese Taipei.

Even when one factors in Méril Loquette’s automatic qualification as a host athlete, only Bartłomiej Mróz qualified as a European athlete. The Polish player lost all three group matches, winning only one game.

“Currently there is only one European in the top six in the world in my category,” Wilson explains.

“It’s obviously Asian dominated, they tend to start playing from a much younger age. The top four in the world are from either Indonesia or Malaysia.

“It’s challenging, but I give everyone a game. I don’t believe that anyone is unbeatable. I’ve taken sets off them in the past, and there’s no reason why I can’t take a few more in the future.”

For Wilson, though, he now has the backing of Team GB coaching and funding to achieve his Paralympic dream.

He is currently the only Welsh athlete on the GB Paralympic para-badminton programme, and he will be one of 7 GB athletes taking part in the British & Irish Para Badminton International in Cardiff in July.

Since 2022, when Wilson started on the Team GB program, his game has gone to another level.

“I’m a lot smarter now. Still impatient, but much more control,” Wilson says.

“My defence and serve is much better and I’m much fitter and able to be more physical. I like to play an intense style, but I’ve never really had the fitness at the highest level to keep it up.”

For those who have known Wilson throughout his sporting career, his impatience to improve will come as no surprise.

“I was always a sporty kid,” Wilson adds.

“I played football but kind of fell out of love with it. There was a little badminton hall in Wrexham and the junior club was struggling for numbers a little bit, so I start going.

“I worked out the balance and everything that went into trying sport with my disability and really enjoyed it.”

At this point in his badminton journey, Wilson was training and playing twice a week. But it was only when he started attending Cardiff Met University that he realised his potential.

He got onto the Wales program and, only a few months later, he was playing in his first international para tournament in Ireland.

The biggest thing that Wilson had to work out in those early years, though, was balance.

“It’s the exact same issue now, because there are times where I obviously have to play left-handed, but I feel off-balance in certain positions and shots,” Wilson says.

“When I started, I was awful. I couldn’t even serve. It helped that I knew everyone at my first club already and I wasn’t being judged.

“I’ve improvised about four or five different serves over time. Initially, I just hand my racket and shuttle in my hand, throw it, and hit, but there was no real quality to it. Then I had it where the shuttle started on my strings and I flicked it up, but the spin was crazy.

“I got there in the end, and now my serve is a key weapon for me.”

For the next three years, though, there is only one target: Los Angeles 2028.

“It’s going to be a bit of a whirlwind, is the short answer,” Wilson reveals.

“We’ve got the European Championships in Türkiye in September; then I’m either in Indonesia or Japan in November; Egypt in January; World Champs in February in Bahrain.

“2026 will be hectic. As well as Egypt and Bahrain, I’ll be in Spain, France, and Dubai, then potentially back in China or Thailand later on.

“The Paralympic qualification period is 14 months long, so I have to maintain a good level for such a long time in a number of different tournaments.

One would think that travelling the world, Wilson would get to see some amazing sights. With the frantic schedule, not so much.

“I get to see a lot of leisure centres!” Wilson laughs.

“To be fair, we have stayed in some very nice places. Getting to go to Japan was amazing. It’s a bit of a culture shock but very cool.

“I knew the travelling would be pretty gruelling, but I knew I signed up for when I came onto the GB program, so I can’t really complain now.”

In the short term, Wilson has the British and Irish Para-badminton International coming up at the Sport Wales National Centre. On home soil, he will be one of seven GB athletes taking part in Cardiff.

“This tournament is absolutely massive for me,” Wilson says.

“The crazy thing is, I think it has more ranking points than the European championships. I’ve got a good record playing in Wales, I’ve reached the semi finals of the last two able-bodies Welsh nationals.

“I’ve spent ten years of my life in the National Centre! I know the ins and outs, the drift and wind, how quick the floor is. I feel like I’m at home and it’s a good chance for me to collect some ranking points and get my Paralympic journey going.”

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