ExplainerTokyo Paralympics: athletes to watch – Jessica Long, Jonnie Peacock and Iran’s ‘Dream Team’

This year, there will be medals for taekwondo and badminton, both new events added to the Paralympic calendar in Tokyo, while Bhutan and Guyana are sending athletes for the first time.

There will also be a number of familiar faces to those who just watched the Olympics.

Melissa Tapper played in the women’s doubles and women’s team table tennis for Australia and is set to shine in Tokyo in the Paralympics, while Natalia Partyka played the women’s singles and team for Poland.

Tapper, who has won Commonwealth Games gold, put it succinctly in an Instagram post – “warm up done, big dance coming up”.

So who else should you be looking out for at the big dance? Here are some of the biggest names to keep an eye on in Tokyo.