SHILTON Billy

Classification
TT8 (ipttc.org, 01 Aug 2021)

Impairment Details
At age five he was diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease [CMT], which damages the peripheral nerves. (britishparatabletennis.com, 08 Mar 2020)

General
RECLASSIFICATION
After winning individual bronze and team silver in class 7 at the 2015 European Championships in Vejle, Denmark, he was reclassified to class 8. "It was tough, especially as I was only 16 at the time and it was something that I had never experienced before. I didn't really know how to react; I just remember that I was so upset and I couldn't believe it. My knowledge of classification was probably not as good as it is now. I was so young and to be honest I didn't realise what was going on. I think I've learnt more about classification and about my disability itself so although it was tough it has also had a lot of positives. It has really pushed me in the right direction with my game and I don't think I would have improved as much as I feel I have if I had stayed in class 7, so in a way I've turned a negative into a positive." (britishparatabletennis.com, 06 Aug 2020)

RIO EXPERIENCE
After he was reclassified to class 8, he missed out on competing at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. However, through Paralympics GB's Paralympic Inspiration Programme, he still travelled to the 2016 Games. "It was so different to anything I had experienced before. I don't think you can just go to a Paralympics and pretend it is just like any other tournament. I think you have to take in the magnitude of it and use it to your advantage. There are so many aspects to it - being around other athletes from different sports and not just being around the table tennis players. It is a massive event and the crowd noise could be quite intimidating if you have not seen something like that before so it was really positive for me to go and experience that." (britishparatabletennis.com, 06 Aug 2020)

COMPETITIVE EDGE
He says a reason for his competitiveness is that he grew up with two younger brothers. "I think I have always been competitive. Whatever I'm doing it has to be a competition, it can be anything. If I go for a walk I've got to be the first one back to the car. I don't know what it is but growing up with two brothers definitely helped. I've been playing a lot of golf since the [COVID-19] lockdown restrictions were eased and I'm loving it [speaking in mid-2020]. It is fun and I'm enjoying the competitive aspect as well. I've played a few rounds with my brother and it always turns into a match after a few holes so it has been good to keep the competitive edge." (britishparatabletennis.com, 06 Aug 2020)

COVID-19 FUNDRAISING
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 he and fellow British Para table tennis player Joshua Stacey completed a 24-hour PlayStation marathon for charity. They played 'Call of Duty' for the full 24 hours and raised more than 500 GBP for the National Health Service [NHS]. He says they were inspired by British Para table tennis player Kim Daybell, who has worked as an NHS doctor during the pandemic. "We were playing a lot of PlayStation over lockdown and we just thought, 'Why not do something to help other people?' So we decided to play 'Call of Duty' for 24 hours to raise money for the NHS. I think what Kim is doing, and everyone else in the NHS, is amazing. The NHS did a lot for me when I was younger with my operations so to know someone who is making such a big difference makes me very proud." (britishparatabletennis.com, 06 Aug 2020)