Injured soldier eyes Paralympics glory

Soldier Nick Beighton, who lost both legs in an explosion while on patrol in Afghanistan, is dreaming of Paralympic glory as he chases a place in the Great British rowing team.

Captain Beighton, of Radbrook Green in Shrewsbury, was injured in a blast in the notorious Helmand province in October 2009.

But after being encouraged to take up rowing as part of the military's 'Battle Back' initiative, which supports injured soldiers, he is eyeing the possibility of collecting a medal at the London Games next year.

The former Radbrook Primary School and Meole Brace Secondary School pupil said the sport had given him a renewed purpose in life following the injuries he suffered.

He is now going through an intensive training programme, which sees him in the gym or on the water two or three times a day for six days a week, in an attempt to secure a place in the Great Britain rowing squad for the Paralympics in the adaptive trunks and arms mixed double scull event with Sam Scowen.

Captain Beighton, 30, said: "Every day, we have to tell ourselves that if we are tired, we just have to keep push ourselves that little bit further.

"Ours is one of the most competitive classes. The six teams that reach the final will be very closely matched, so we are going to have to be on the top of our game."

The soldier needed 36 pints of blood in transfusions to keep him alive after he trod on an improvised explosive device.

But he said that he was still determined to make the most of every opportunity that comes his way.

"How I live my life is that you have got to look for the positives. Getting blown up and losing my legs is a pretty horrendous thing to happen but you have to learn from it and take the positives," he said.

Captain Beighton said that despite being a Shrewsbury lad and growing up close to the River Severn, he had never taken up rowing in his younger years.

But he said he was now hoping to do Britain proud in the Paralympics after discovering a natural aptitude for the sport when he took it up 18 months ago.

He said: "It was 60 years since the Olympics were in London and it might be 60 years before the next time, so it is a once in a lifetime opportunity."