The shortlist for the British Elite Athletes Association’s (BEAA)’s Athletes’ Athlete of the Month award for May has been confirmed.

Kayleigh Brown (boccia), Matt Bush (para-taekwondo), Jess Stretton (para-archery), and Emma Wiggs (para-canoe) have all been nominated in recognition of medal-winning performance.

Our first nominee is Kayleigh, who makes the shortlist after winning two silver medals at the Boccia Challenge Finland tournament. The 27-year-old succeeded in both the individual and team event in what was her first competition since returning from maternity leave. Kayleigh, who welcomed her son Klay in October, had missed non months of competitive action, but marked her return with several impressive performances.

Matt earned his nomination after winning gold in the K44 classification at the European Taekwondo Championships in Munich. The Welshman was competing for the first time in two years, and his victory means he has now completed the set of Paralympic, World and European titles.

Jess, a 2016 Paralympic gold medallist, claimed her first continental titles as she won gold in both the Compound Women’s Doubles and the Compound Mixed Team events at the 2026 European Para-Archery Championships in Rome.      

Completing the lineup is Emma, who returned from an 18-month absence following shoulder surgery with victory in the women’s VL2 race at the Canoe Sprint and Paracanoe World Cup. The rehabilitation process was particularly challenging for the three-time Paralympic gold medallist, who admitted: "There's been huge points over the rehab journey where I just doubted we could ever line up again, let alone be competitive."

Elite athletes can cast their vote by heading to their latest BEAA email, with the winner to be confirmed shortly.

Good luck to all our nominees!