Javelin ace Ken Churchill believes he is in the best form of his life as he chases a third gold medal in Athens this month.
 The 29-year-old from Whinney Banks is defending his Paralympic crown, having won gold previously at both Atlanta and Sydney. He is one of three Teessiders chasing glory in Athens, along with wheelchair speed queen Tanni Grey-Thompson and wheelchair basketball star Terry Bywater. Ken has been working with the sun on his back at a training camp in Cyprus and is ready for the biggest test of his career. He said: "My training has been brilliant. "I did a lot of training at Durham before I flew out to the training camp and my coach Paul Young has been helping me with my technique. "I have never been throwing better and now I can't wait to get on with it. "I watched the Olympics on TV last month and we'll be staying in the same athletes' village. "I just have to make sure that I throw as well as I can on the day because the competition is getting better all the time." Ken admits that he is expected to retain his title, which brings a bit of added pressure. He said: "I am the favourite and I suppose there is a bit of pressure. "But I am confident and I really want to get the gold again. I want my third title." Ken, who suffers from cerebral palsy, warmed up in style during the summer by breaking his own world record. He set a new mark of 46.45 metres in winning a major grand prix tournament at Perivale Park in London. This was 22 centimetres further than he threw in winning an event in Cannock in early May. Paul Young said: "Ken is trying to peak in the games so he is heading in the right direction. "He is very close to producing his best form." Redcar-based Tanni will be looking to add to her current tally of nine golds, four silver and one bronze medal at her fifth games in a row. She is contesting four track events, from the 100m to the 800m. Tanni, 34, who won four of her golds at the Sydney Paralympics, is likely to face her fiercest battle for honours at a major event. A change to the rules means the 200m wheelchair sprint is now a combined classification, meaning she will find herself pitted against those with a lesser degree of spinal damage than her own. Tanni's main rivals at the games are two Americans - Cheri Blauwet, who won this year's Boston Marathon, and Jessica Galli. Tanni rates her chances of scooping at least three out of four golds at eight out of ten - which means she is fully fired up for Athens. She has already had a taste of the stadium when competing in the 800m wheelchair demonstration race during the Olympics last month. Terry, from Dormanstown, helped Great Britain qualify for the basketball finals at the European championships in Sardinia last year. The 21-year-old has been a regular member of the international set-up and was a vital part of the British team which won a silver medal at the world championships in Japan two years ago. He will return to the Paralympics in confident mood of winning a medal, as part of a gradually improving British squad, which is hoping to do better than the fourth place achieved in Sydney four years ago. The games open on Friday and around 4,000 athletes from 145 countries will be competing. Britain are taking a 166-strong team of athletes to compete in 15 sports. In Sydney, the Paralympic team became one of the most successful British sporting teams of all time when it won 131 medals (41 gold, 43 silver, 47 bronze) and came second only to hosts Australia on the overall medal table. | 
