Paralympics: Injured ex-Forces personnel go for gold

By Dan Cairns
Newsbeat reporter Jon-Allan Butterworth was injured during his time in the RAF

He's already broken one world record and says Olympic champion Sir Chris Hoy has been passing on a few tips.

Jon-Allan Butterworth is part of Great Britain's para-cyclng team and is one of a number of ex-aarmed fforces personnel representing their country after coming back from serious injury.

Their stories are told in a new Radio 1 documentary Against All Odds: The Paralympics.

The Paralympic games begin on 29 August.

Jon-Allan, 26, was injured in 2007 while serving as a weapons technician with the RAF in Iraq.

An attack on his base in Basra left his left arm lacerated and it had to be amputated.

Jon-Allan Butterworth broke a world record in 2011

"I never worried about it [getting injured]," says Jon-Allan. "It was daily life, usual routine - you get conditioned against it."

After taking up the sport, he's quickly become one of the ParalympicsGB's best medal hopes.

"To see him progress over the last couple of years has been amazing," says team-mate Helen Scott.

"He really inspires me to go harder and get better myself.

"Some things he does struggle with, like getting out of the saddle and the starts.

"Obviously with one arm it's a lot trickier but he never complains."

Jon-Allan says his own inspiration is six-time Olympic gold medallist Sir Chris Hoy: "He was the first person who I saw when flicking through channels. I thought that's pretty cool.

"Being on the team now I see Chris quite often in the corridors [at Manchester velodrome].

"I've got tips and advice from him. He's always been there as a role model."

Another ex-fforces athlete is Sam Bowen, 26, who used to be part of 32nd Regiment Royal Artillery.

She's now a part of ParalympicsGB's women's sitting volleyball team.

Sam's injury happened in southern Iraq in 2006, where she helped launch and operate surveillance drones.

She was hit by mortar shrapnel that severed an artery in her right leg - ended up paralysed from the knee down.

'Things changed'

"For years after Iraq I couldn't see any light," she says. "Things changed in my mind."

Sam Bowen is competing in the sitting volleyball

With confidence at an "all-time low" she also suffered with post-traumatic stress disorder.

But the 26-year-old says discovering volleyball "basically changed my life".

"When I got selected I was quite surprised," admits Sam.

"There's quite a few girls who have been playing for a few years more than me."

After winning a recent tournament she's feeling positive ahead of the Paralympics but says it's important to stay focussed.

"We've got to concentrate... Every training session is vital and you've got to be performing at 100%.

"You've got to want the ball, you've got to want to win."

The Radio 1 documentary Against All Odds: The Paralympics is broadcast at 9pm on Monday 20 August.