When Jacob Thomas competed in the London 2012 Paralympics

Gordon Thomas, Fraser Watson, and Bill Carne continue have picked out ten of them (in no particular order).

Second up......

Jacob’s jaunt to London:

The 2012 London Olympics and Paralympics provided some memorable moments – not least for one boy from Bethesda.

Shortly after birth Jacob Thomas was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, but that wasn’t going to stop him achieving his dreams.

And sure enough, said dreams came true when aged 17, he was picked in the Team GB boccia squad to compete against the elite. It was the first time the sport had been played at the Paralympics and accompanied by dad Michael, as he was every competition, Jacob became one of nine British players to help make history.

Mum Caroline and sister Polly watched on as he competed in the team and individual competitions, and poignantly he came up against his hero in Greek star Grigorios Polychronidis.

There may not have been any medals in London and the nature of Jacob’s condition meant a short window for his sporting career, but he retired in 2016 with he and his family able to reflect on a few days in London they would never, ever forget.

BC: Being there remains one of my most memorable sporting moments alongside watching Federer at Wimbledon, and it was made special by such an amazing sporting venue. Jacob was a brilliant tactician and Mike did a great job as his ramp loader. Staying at a posh residence on the bank of the River Thames wasn’t bad either!

FW: I remember watching Jacob in London and feeling humbled by it all. Him and his family had been through more than most of us could imagine, and yet here he was fulfilling his ultimate ambition with them right by his side. It was the culmination of so much hard work and strength in adversity.

GT: It was a humbling experience meeting Jacob’s parents before he took to the stage in London. I was so proud watching him compete for Team GB, it was an exceptional time that will live with me for the rest of my days.