FLISS Pickard and Megan Shackleton have missed out on a Paralympics Games medal in their respective individual events after being knocked out at the quarter final stages - but both said they were proud of their efforts.

Pickard, 30, from Burnley - who had already one a bronze medal in the table tennis doubles with Bly Twomey - was competing in the Women’s Class 6 while Todmorden’s Shackleton was in the Women’s Class Four.

Pickard was up against World bronze medallist Camelia Ciripan and won the opening two sets but the Romanian battled back to level matters before winning the deciding set 11-8.

“She played unbelievably,” said Pickard, who although devastated to come so close to a second medal was gracious in defeat. “I knew it was going to be a tough fight from the word go. We’ve had so many battles, and I was so pleased to see her get that wild card because she’s had an amazing year. If anyone deserves a medal it’s her. I’ll come back stronger and full credit to her.

“I can be incredibly proud. If you’d said to me four weeks ago that I could come here and fight like I did and be able to come away with a bronze medal (in the doubles) I’d have bitten your hand off so I can be incredibly proud of myself, and I’ve had a great experience. I’ll go back and have a few weeks off with the family then get back into training, get back in the thick of it and come back even stronger.”

Shackleton, 24, came within a point of a first win against World number one Borislava Peric-Rankovic in Slovenia in May and she put up another tremendous performance against the former World and Paralympic champion.

After Peric-Rankovic had edged a tight first set 12-10 Shackleton took the second 11-9. The Serbian has been there, done that and got every T-shirt and she appeared to have found another gear when she raced through the third set 11-1. To her credit Shackleton came back fighting in the fourth to lead 10-7 and then held her nerve after Peric-Rankovic had levelled at 10-10 to win the set 12-10 and force a deciding fifth set.

From 5-2 down Shackleton battled back to level at 8-8 but the greater experience of Peric-Rankovic – a seven-time European champion – proved decisive as she took the set 11-8 and the match 3-2.

“I’m really proud of myself,” said Shackleton, “coming into this after two years of recovering from injury and struggling to find my form, then having a fantastic season winning lots of tournaments and finally getting myself to Paris, getting to the quarterfinals and taking on one of the best in the world. I played really well and I have no regrets. Obviously, it’s extremely gutting not to get the medal and at the end of the day that’s what we all play for. I believe I’ve got plenty left in me and hopefully things are only going to get better.

“Even in the third set the scoreline wasn’t fantastic, but I was sticking to what was working. I just needed to adjust a few things, but I believe in committing to what the right thing is now, and I’ll stick with that and I think that showed in the fourth set and even in the fifth.

"I just think she managed some of those closer moments really well and I guess that just shows her experience. But each time I play these quarter finals in the singles I feel I’m learning more and more about how to hold my nerve and how to get through those moments and hopefully it’s coming soon.

“I really believe in myself and even here I kind of believed I was a contender for a medal, and I think I did show that despite the outcome.

"The girls are all fantastic and I think there’ll be some really tough matches in LA as well but I’m going to keep working hard and keep pushing my game on and hopefully it will be a gold in LA.”