The Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will take place between 7-18 September, when 4,350 athletes from more than 170 countries will compete across 23 sports. They will battle for 528 medals: 225 of them in women's events, 265 men's and 38 mixed competitions.

So, amid this festival of top-level sports, who should you watch out for? To help you keep tabs on the stars, Rio2016.com has produced a list of the top names from each sport.

Athletics

With 177 medal events, the track and field events will take place at the Olympic Stadium and Fort Copacabana.

Jason Smyth (Ireland) – Like Usain Bolt in the Olympic Games, Smyth will be aiming to repeat his success in the 100m and 200m from the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Games when he runs in Rio in September. This visually impaired sprinter is the fastest Paralympic athlete on the planet, something he confirmed by winning a special cross-classification race in Rio last year.

Terezinha Guilhermina (Brazil) – The colourful speedster (below), for whom Usain Bolt once ran as a guide, is one of the biggest Paralympic stars in Brazil, with two golds at London 2012 and one in Beijing 2008. She had a disappointing world championships in Doha last year so will be determined the bounce back on home soil.

(Photo: Getty Images/Francois Nel)

Felipe Gomes (Brazil) – A multiple world and Paralympic Games champion, the 100m, 200m and 400m runner comes from one of Rio's most notorious favelas and could be one of the big stories of the Games.

Markus Rehm (Germany) – The amputee long jumper, known as the Blade Jumper, broke his own world record at the 2015 world championships with a mamoth jump that would have won gold at the London 2012 Olympic Games. He has to be seen to be believed.

Omara Durand (Cuba) – The fastest female Paralympic sprinter, Durand proved her status alongside Smyth in Rio last year and eased to victory in 100m and 200m in the T12 class for the visually impaired at the Rio 2016 test event in May.

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Wheelchair basketball

Twelve men’s and 10 women’s teams will be in the hunt for medals. Matches will take place at Carioca 1 Arena and the Rio Olympic Arena.

Mariska Beijer (Netherlands) – Scoring the most points at the 2015 European championships with an average of 23.6 per game, the Dutchwoman helped her team to silver. At London 2012, the Dutch won bronze behind Germany (gold) and Australia.

Shaun Norris (Australia) –  Rio will be his fourth Paralympic Games and he has medalled at every previous appearance (silver in 2004 and 2012, gold in 2008). He averaged 17.22 points per games as Australia retained their world title in 2014.

Boccia

Men and women compete together in singles, doubles and team matches, all of which will take place at the Carioca 2 Arena.

Dirceu Pinto (Brazil) – The 35-year-old Brazilian has four Paralympic medals to his name, the biggest haul in the world in his category. He has won gold in every Paralympic Games event he has competed in.

Canoe Sprint

The sport will make its Paralympic Games debut at Lagoa Stadium on the Rodrigo de Freitas lagoon. Canoeists race 200m in a straight line in six medal events (three men’s and three women’s).

Markus Swoboda (Austria) – Has been dominant in the sport since his international debut in 2010, claiming all six world championship medals up for grabs. He is determined to make his mark on his sport's Paralympic Games debut.

Road cycling

The breathtaking course in Pontal (below) will provide a fantastic setting for the Rio 2016 road cycling tournament.

Alex Zanardi (Italy) – A ex-Formula One and Indy car driver, the Italian lost his legs in an accident but made his comeback in road cycling with two golds at the London 2012 Paralympics. He said he has 'seen a sign' that he will win more gold in Rio.

Track cycling

Seventeen gold medals will be up for grabs across individual men's and women's races and mixed team events at the Rio Olympic Velodrome.

Sarah Stoney (Great Britain) – One of her nation’s most successful athletes, at London 2012 the former swimmer took home four golds from the four cycling events she participated in, two on the track and two on the road.

Wheelchair fencing

The Youth Arena will host 14 medal events, consisting of individual and team contests.

Jovane Guissone (Brazil) – The 33-year-old from Brazil’s southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, took up fencing in 2008, four years after being shot during a robbery and losing the movement of his legs. He is one of Brazil’s big hopes for a medal after taking home gold at London 2012.

Beatrice Vio (Italy) – The 18-year-old is the world and European champion, remaining unbeaten during 2015.

Football 5-a-side

Contested by visually impaired players, eight teams will compete for gold at the Olympic Tennis Centre in Barra Park.

Jefinho Gonçalves (Brazil) – Better known as Jefinho, he is considered he Pelé of Paralympic football. A two-time gold medallist, this talismanic right-winger will help Brazil as they look to retain their utter dominance of the sport.

Football 7-a-side

Contested by athletes with cerebral palsy, football 7-a-sde will take place at Deodoro Stadium, where eight teams will go into battle.

Eduard Ramonov (Russia) – The striker (below) bagged seven goals in six games and was voted player of the tournament as Russia retained their world title last year. They will seek to do the same with their Paralympic crown in Rio.

(Photo: Getty Images/Dennis Grombkowski)

Goalball

Contested by visually impaired athletes, 10 teams of each gender will be in the hunt for medals at the Future Arena.

Leomon Moreno da Silva (Brazil) – The 22-year-old was the star of the 2014 World Cup, finishing as top scorer (with 51 goals) as Brazil beat Finland 9-1 in the final, avenging their 8-1 gold medal match defeat by the Finns at London 2012.

Erkki Miinala (Finland) – The Finn was an integral part of the team that thrashed the Brazilians at London 2012 and also scored 24 goals at the 2014 World Cup.

Powerlifting

Ten different categories for men and women will be contested at Riocentro Pavillion 2.

Sherif Othman (Egypt) – The strongest athlete across all categories, the 33-year-old Egyptian won gold at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, as well as in the 2010 and 2014 world championships in the 56kg weight class. In 2015, Othman went up to 59kg and quickly broke Briton Ali Jawad’s record.

Equestrian

Men and women compete together in 10 individual dressage events and one team competition.

Lee  Pearson (Great Britain) – It's difficult to imagine how Pearson fits all his medals in his house: he completed the 'triple-triple' of Paralympic golds (individual, team and freestyle) at Sydney 2000, Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, while London 2012 brought him a further team gold, individual silver and freestyle bronze.

Judo

Judokas with a visual impairment will fight across seven men’s weight classes and six women’s at Carioca Arena 3.

Eduardo Ávila Sánchez (México) – Gold medallist at Beijing 2008 and bronze at London 2012, the Mexican is also ran out victorious in the -81kg category at the 2015 Parapan-American Games.

Ramona Brussig (Germany) – The 39-year-old judoka will participate in her fourth Paralympic Games and is determined to maintain her flow of medals: at Athens 2004 and London 2012 she won gold while at Beijing 2008 she won silver in the -52kg category.

Swimming

The Olympic Aquatics Stadium will hosts 151 medal races, with men's and women's events as well as a mixed relay.

Daniel Dias (Brasil) – Brazil’s biggest Paralympic champion with 15 medals, 10 of them gold, Dias (below) has qualified for six individual swimming disciplines at Rio 2016 and has already won three Laureus awards, which are considered the Oscars of sport.

(Photo: Getty Images/Ian MacNicol)

Rowing

Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas will be the stage for the men’s and women’s regattas as well as two mixed races.

Erik Horrie (Australia) – Silver at London 2012, the Australian dominates the AS class and is a three-time world champion.

Moran Samuel (Israel) – It took the rower five years to achieve his first world title in 2015, when he received a nomination for athlete of the year in the sport.

Wheelchair rugby

Carioca Arena 1 will host the wheelchair rugby competition, a sport that made its debut at Sydney 2000.

Chuck Aoki (USA) Inspired by the film Muderball, he debuted for the US team in 2009 and became one of the best players in the world. A 3.0 player, he was a key component in the USA’s a bronze medal at the 2014 world championships.

Ryley Batt (Australia) – Considered the best wheelchair rugby player in the world, Batt likes a rumble. He led Australia to gold at London 2012 (scoring 160 points) and victory at the 2014 world championships. At just 27 years old, this will be his fourth Paralympic Games.

Table tennis

Riocentro Pavilion 3 will host the 29 medals events, with individual and team matches contested by athletes with learning difficulties.

Álvaro Valera (Spain) – The Spaniard is always among the highest ranked at the main global competitions, winning gold in category 6 at the 2014 world championships and the 2015 European championships. Rio 2016 will be his first Paralympic appearance since Sydney 2000.

Lin Ma (China) – Considered one of the best of all time, Lin Ma (below) was champion in category 9 at the 2014 world championships as well as 2015 Asian champion. No.1 in the world in his class, since his debut in the sport he has remained among the top five in the world.

(Photo: Getty Images/Matthew Lloyd)

Wheelchair tennis

The brand new Olympic Tennis Centre in Barra will host the sport that made its Paralympic Games debut at Barcelona 1992.

Shing Kunieda (Japan) – The most successful player in wheelchair tennis. In 2015 he lost just two matches whilst going on to win three Grand Slam titles and ended the year world no.1 again. He comes to Rio 2016 in search of a third individual gold medal.

Archery

Part of the Paralympic Games since its first edition at Rome 1960, archery will feature nine medal events at Rio 2016, where it will take place at the iconic at the Sambódromo.

David Drahoninsky (Czech Republic) – Gold at Beijing 2008, silver at London 2012, he won his first world title in 2015 in the W1 category. He is widely considered the best in the world.

Zahra Nemati (Iran) – Her country’s female first athlete to win gold at a Paralympic or Olympic Games, Nemati became a role model for Muslim women after her success at London 2012. She aims to compete in both the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio.

Shooting

With 12 medal events, all of them individual, and with four types of guns, the competition will take place at the Olympic Shooting Centre in Deodoro.

Cuiping Zhang (China) – After winning two silvers at Beijing 2008, Zhang won gold and set a world record in the 10m air rifle standing at London 2012, before winning a second gold in the 50m rifle three positions. She broke three world records in 2015.

(Photo: Getty images/Dennis Grombowski)

Jonas Jacobsson (Sweden) – Since Arnhem 1980, the Swede has participated in nine editions of the Paralympic Games, with a total of 17 golds, two silver and nine bronze medals, as well as 19 world records.

Triathlon

This sport will make its Paralympic Games debut at Fort Copacabana, with men’s and women’s events.

Martin Schulz (Germany) – For two years he has dominated the PT4 category. He has been world champion twice (2013 and 2014) and European champion four times.

Stefan Daniel (Canada) – Schulz’s biggest adversary, he won the world title in 2015 with a margin of 30 seconds.

Melissa Stockwell (USA) – A former soldier who lost her leg in an explosion in Iraq, Stockwell (below) is a three-time world champion who is out to add Paralympic gold to her record.

(Photo:Getty Images/Sandra Mu)

Sailing

Paralympic sailing is made up of three classes: 2.4mR, Skud 18 and Sonar. All starting from Glória Marina, the regattas will take place between 12 and 17 September.

Damien Seguin (France) – Gold at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008, he was beaten at London 2012 but returned to top form last year coming fourth in the 2.4mR world championship.

Heikp Kroeger (Germany) – Paralympic champion at Sydney 2000 in 2.4mR, he has always been consistent. Silver at London 2012, he came fourth at Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 as well as amassing seven world titles. He is Seguin’s big rival.

Sitting volleyball

Eight teams of each gender will battle for medals at Riocentro Pavilion 6.

Yu Hong Shen (China) – The three-time Paralympic champion is considered the heart of the Chinese team with which she also became world champion in 2014.

Safet Alibasic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) – He helped his nation to Paralympic gold at London 2012, defeating Iran who were champions at Beijing 2008.

Wellington Platini Silva (Brazil) – A player who is consistently among the best in the world in attacking and blocking. He played at London 2012 where Brazil made its debut in the sport, eventually coming fifth, before winning silver at the 2014 world championships.