Paris 2024: The elite military athletes to watch out for at the Olympic Games
The best athletes from across the world are in Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games, with a number of UK Armed Forces personnel competing for gold.
The Armed Forces will have three actively serving athletes competing in the French capital across three different sports - with two competing for Team GB and one for Zimbabwe.
The games open on Friday 26 July and close on Sunday 11 August, with wall-to-wall coverage being shown on Discovery+ on its Eurosport Channels (1 and 2), with coverage also available across multiple BBC channels.
Here's a detailed look at the forces athletes taking part and when you can see them in action.
Stephen Cox - Rowing
Men's Single Sculls: 27 July - 3 August
British Army rower Corporal Stephen Cox is ready to realise a childhood dream at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, competing for Zimbabwe.
Cpl Cox missed out on the Tokyo Games due to the pandemic, but an amazing performance at the African qualifiers saw him book his place in Paris.
"This dream has been an aspiration of mine since I was 13," said Cpl Cox, who has been training Down Under with the Australian rowing team to prepare for the Games.
The REME soldier is a proud British serviceman, but acknowledges the unusual nature of his competing for Zimbabwe.
He said: "A lot of people get confused about it, but I couldn't thank the British Army enough for how instrumental they've been in this whole process."
Liam Sanford - Hockey
Men's Hockey: 27 July - 8 August
Royal Air Force hockey player Air Specialist Class 1 Liam Sanford will be competing in his second Olympics after he took part in the delayed games in Tokyo in 2021.
The men's team will hope to improve on their result in Tokyo, where they were knocked out in the quarterfinals after a 3-1 defeat to India.
AS1 Sanford helped GB qualify for the Olympics in qualifying tournaments earlier this year, where he reached a milestone of a combined 100 caps for GB Hockey and England Hockey.
Just making the Team GB squad is hard enough due to the depth of the British team, which AS1 Sanford described as a "proud moment" when he spoke to BFBS Sport at his training base at Bisham Abbey.
He said: "It's a very, very competitive team in a very competitive environment, so to book your place out to Paris and the team is a proud moment for myself and my family.
"We're obviously in the phase now of kind of building up to Paris with these last couple of days training here, so there's a few more bits to get right before we head out there."
Kerenza Bryson - Modern Pentathlon
Women's Modern Pentathlon: 8 - 11 August
Army reservist Second Lieutenant Kerenza Bryson is heading to Paris for the 2024 Olympic Games as part of Team GB.
She's been picked by the British Olympic Association to compete in the Modern Pentathlon competition alongside fellow Brits Kate French, Joe Choong and Myles Pillage.
2Lt Bryson has had an impressive few years, winning a bronze medal at the World Championships last year and being crowned UKAF Sportswoman of the Year at a ceremony in April.
An officer in 165 Port & Maritime Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, and a qualified doctor, 2Lt Bryson rose to third in the sport's world rankings earlier this year and is a high hope for medal success in Paris.
"This is an absolute dream come true.Ten-year-old Kay would be so proud," said 2Lt Bryson when speaking to the GB Pentathlon website.
"I’m incredibly excited about competing in Paris and giving it my best shot with all my friends and family watching! Everything is now focused on making those marginal gains in the last few weeks of preparation."
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