Para-shooter Paul aims for Games

The Stoke Mandeville-based star, 39, has been shooting since he was a child and has been a part of the British Shooting programme since 2019, training in Buckinghamshire in recent years.

And having had a first taste of significant silverware in 2022, Barker is now ready to push on - and see if he can one day achieve his dreams of making a Paralympic Games.

He said: “Everybody would like to get to the Paralympics. Whether that’s achievable I’m not sure, but it should be if I can keep achieving good scores. I’m just enjoying the journey and seeing what competitions become available.

“I’m trying not to get too ahead of myself - the next competition is Hannover at the end of the month. I know it’s going to be even tougher there.

“With it being my first international competition, it’s going to be a completely different experience, travelling down there. I’ve got to go down there to get my international classification, but it’s just to give myself a bit of a measuring stick if you’d like, to see how good I am against all the other nations.

“I’m not really giving myself a target on this one - I think it would be a bit naive to do that.”

Barker is one of 50 athletes supported by Entain, owner of Ladbrokes and Coral, as part of their partnership with SportsAid. Entain is championing the next generation of British sporting heroes by providing talented young athletes with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Visit entaingroup.com to find out more.