athlete born april cardiff based british paralympic years old right leg knee following motorcycle accident took running fitted participated race following year selected represent great_britain took bronze medal metres sport class metre sprint subsequently won silver medals world championships july placed meeting france paris achieved personal best time metres seconds winning silver august year main event metres achieved bronze world championships gold paralympic world cup competition record time seconds september champion metres metres world wheelchair games ranked world metres second metres called fastest men world metres metres class knee competed great_britain metres summer paralympics beijing winning bronze time seconds early years education born april surrey england attended school street somerset teenager runner hockey player august gap year trip thailand levels involved motorcycle accident riding went round corner quickly leg stop motorcycle falling smashed knee motorcycle fell resulting chain major blood vessels leg flown hospital damaged lower right leg severely knee days returning spent seven weeks undergoing rehabilitation queen mary hospital london spent year home took mountain climbing worked fitness instructor local leisure centre started running summer soon fitted love sound air rushing past ears freedom missed wanted taking place pursue sport exercise science practised university running track trained local running club found running difficult uncomfortable designed purpose frequently got damaged making inquiries introduced carbon running blades graduated university upper second class honours degree summer taking race championships year september embarked studies sport exercise science cardiff subsequently graduating master science took pre medical examinations plans retire athletics season train doctor athletics career began training early welsh international athlete took coach began training able bodied squad selected represent great_britain took place august finland decision greatly surprised achieved qualifying standard races summer championships international competition took bronze medal metres came fourth metre race having competed sport class single knee subsequently placed funding programme enabling time athlete end january weeks cup germany car stolen car park worked time trained running worth boot following appeal return received telephone youths said able recover lost leg asked worth infuriated refused pay asked youths considered like agreed action youths anonymously returned institute week later went achieve personal best seconds metres race seconds metres february major races september world championships awarded silver medal metres bronze metres following year struck gold achieved competition record time seconds metres début manchester england garnered silver metres subsequently july placed meeting france paris achieved personal best time metres seconds winning silver germany august later year champion metres metres world wheelchair games chinese held september ranked world metres second metres called fastest men world class knee paralympic début great_britain metres summer paralympics beijing false start took bronze medal seconds canada seconds germany seconds despite plans retire athletics season study medicine ruled competing summer paralympics london said nice interested cycling rowing won qualify doctor till wouldn impossible constant excellence hunger born england lives cardiff competes professionally wales said wales good want proud run wales according motorcycle accident ways best thing happened given focus drive day new challenge list goals aspirations didn change accident changed direction losing leg changed life hasn changed medals personal life following paralympic games returned beijing overland travelled china russia russia ukraine hungary croatia coast took ferry italy meet girlfriend rome travelled train italy austria eventually returning middle november hopes day childhood plans studying medicine running crossing atlantic_ocean obtaining free fall parachute licence free time enjoys playing guitar
John McFall (athlete)