Anthony Hughes: Tributes after unexpected death of Paralympic coach
- Published
Aled Sion Davies, Hollie Arnold, Josie Pearson, Beth Munro are among those to benefit from Anthony Hughes' guidance
The driving force behind some of Wales' most successful Para-athletes, Anthony Hughes, has died aged 63.
A former athlete, Hughes was Disability Sport Wales' performance manager and is credited with making Wales a leading force in inclusive and Para-sport.
The organisation said he died unexpectedly on 30 December.
Hughes worked with Aled Sion Davies, Josie Pearson, Hollie Arnold, guiding them Paralympic gold medals.
As an athlete, he competed in the shot put and javelin at the 1992 Paralympics in Barcelona.
He had previously won silver at the 1990 IPC World Championships for the shot and in 1994 held the world record in the event.
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Hughes' attention then turned to developing new talent and he joined Disability Sport Wales in 1999.
He developed a system that saw the number of Welsh Paralympians increase from 17 in Sydney 2000 to 38 by London 2012, and more recently 21 in Tokyo 2020 - with 14 medals won in Japan.
Hughes was named Sport Wales Coach of the Year in 2011, inducted into the UK Coaching Hall of Fame in 2012 and was awarded an MBE for services to sport in 2013.
Paying tribute, the chief executive officer of Disability Sport Wales, Fiona Reid, said Hughes "was ahead of his time".
"He was really committed to inclusive and Para-sport in Wales and was absolutely determined to make sure that Wales led the rest of the world in inclusive sport and the opportunities it provided to Para and disabled athletes," she said.
"He saw the potential in people in all situations. We won't ever see the likes of Ant again in sport."