BEN WATSON
32 Discipline: cycling Medals: 2 golds
When the previous Paralympics were staged in Rio, chartered surveyor Ben Watson was an armchair spectator.
Still suffering the long-term effects of Guillain-Barré syndrome, a condition that had left him lying paralysed in a hospital bed for two months as a 14-year-old, followed by more than two years in a wheelchair and on crutches, he certainly had no great sporting ambitions.
But having managed a bit of mountain biking despite residual weakness in his legs, he attended a British Cycling Talent ID scheme. Five years on, he has joined the ranks of Britain’s Paralympic heroes after winning the men’s C3 time trial and road race.
Admitting he was over weight and partying when he began his life-changing journey in 2017, Ben says: “I turned up, had a go and this is where it’s taken me. The belief of people around me has got me here. It takes a lot of work and focus, but to be able to come and do this on the world stage is amazing.”