THE opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games in Rio takes place on Wednesday evening, signalling the start of 12 days of thrilling sporting action. Chief Sports Writer Scott Wilson profiles the athletes from the North-East and North Yorkshire who will be going for gold.

ATHLETICS

Jade Jones (Middlesbrough, T54 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m)

Despite having only turned 20 at the start of the year, Jones has spent the last couple of seasons developing into one of Britain’s leading wheelchair racers.

She won a European silver medal and a bronze at the Commonwealth Games in 2014, and will be hoping to improve on her performance at the London Olympics in 2012, when she finished outside the medals in the final of the 1,500m.

Stephen Miller (Cramlington, F32 Club throw)

The Northern Echo:

The most experienced member of the British athletics squad, 36-year-old Miller will be competing in his sixth Paralympics when he lines up in Rio.

He won gold medals at Atlanta, Sydney and Athens, and claimed a silver in Beijing, and while his failure to make the final in London represented a rare disappointment, he has continued to showcase his world-class credentials in the last four years.

FOOTBALL

Matt Crossen (Stockton-on-Tees, Seven-a-side)

The Northern Echo:

A former Northern League defender with Stokesley, Thornaby, Marske United and West Auckland, Crossen was instructed to give up football when he suffered a stroke in November 2013.

However, the right-back continued to play, and has subsequently become an established international Cerebral Palsy player, helping England to a fifth-place finish at the 2015 World Championship, a performance that qualified them for Rio.

ROWING

Laurence Whiteley (Northallerton, Mixed double sculls)

The Northern Echo:

A former international swimmer, Whiteley who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, took up rowing when he joined Tees Rowing Club in 2011.

Since then, he has gone from strength to strength, winning gold medals in individual events at British and European level, before teaming up with Lauren Rowles in the trunk-arms mixed double. The pair won a silver medal at last year’s World Championships to secure their place at Rio.

SAILING

John Robertson (Sunderland, Sonar)

The Northern Echo:

One of Britain’s most experienced Paralympic sailors, Robertson will be teaming up with Hannah Stodel and Stephen Thomas to compete in the sonar category at the trio’s third Games.

Having finished sixth at Athens and Beijing, the trio suffered controversial heartbreak at London, when a four-point penalty saw them drop out of the bronze-medal position to finish fifth. They boast three world titles though, and will start as one of the favourites ahead of the Rio Olympic regatta.

SWIMMING

Josef Craig (Jarrow, S8 Freestyle)

The Northern Echo:

Having created history when he became Team GB’s youngest gold-medal winner at the 2012 Games, Craig returns to Paralympic action after a difficult four years.

The 19-year-old, who triumphed in the S7 400m freestyle at London, was reclassified in the wake of his Paralympic success, but has battled his way back to the very highest level, winning silver medals in the 400m freestyle and 4x100m freestyle relay at last year’s World Championships in Madeira.

Matt Wylie (Sunderland, S9 Freestyle)

The Northern Echo:

After undergoing a series of operations between 2004-07 following the discovery of a tumour in his leg, Wylie took up swimming on medical advice. In the decade since, the 19-year-old has developed into one of Britain’s leading disability swimming performers.

He won a gold medal in the S9 50m freestyle at last year’s World Championships, also claiming a bronze medal as part of Britain’s 4x100m freestyle relay team, and is a strong medal prospect as he prepares to make his Paralympic debut in Rio.

WHEELCHAIR BASKETBALL

Terry Bywater (Redcar)

The Northern Echo:

The Teessider is a key member of Britain’s much-respected wheelchair basketball team that claimed a hat-trick of European titles when they triumphed in Worcester last September.

He was part of the side that finished fourth at the London Paralympics, having won a bronze medal at the Athens and Beijing Games, and is regarded as one of the linchpins of the British team as he prepares to turn 34 at the start of next year.

WHEELCHAIR FENCING

Gemma Collis (Durham)

The Northern Echo:

Collis was forced to use a wheelchair after contracting a rare nervous system disorder called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy in 2008, and took up wheelchair fencing when she began a law degree at Durham University.

She competed in her first international competition at the start of 2012, and took part in the London Paralympics, finishing eighth alongside Gabi Down and Justine Moore in the team epee. Her place at the Rio Games was only confirmed after the decision to ban the entire Russian Paralympic team was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.