By Tim Heffer
PARIS (Reuters) – British Paralympian John McFaul will stand up for sport and space this week after becoming the first physically disabled person approved by the European Space Agency to take part in future missions.
The 43-year-old surgeon, who won 100m bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, is in France to support Team GB at the Paris Games and show how elite athletes can overcome even the most difficult obstacles.
“I think sport has always been a very powerful tool for making people aware of what anyone can do, but now that Paralympic sports is getting so much more attention than it has ever been, it's a really great, powerful platform for seeing what people with physical disabilities can do,” he said in an interview.
At age 19, while visiting Thailand, McFaul was in a motorcycle accident that resulted in his right leg being amputated above the knee, ending his military career hopes.
“There were some dark times at the beginning, but mainly times of frustration, because I needed something to satisfy my desire for challenge and achievement. For me sport was the natural choice. Challenging myself physically gave me a sense of fulfillment. It was really a powerful tool in my rehabilitation,” he told Reuters.
“In the eight years between losing my leg and competing in Beijing, I learned a lot about myself, and perhaps the most important thing is that you can truly achieve anything if you try.”
Astronaut Training
Now he's moving on to his next big challenge.
Three years ago, a colleague sent him an ad seeking aspiring astronauts, including one to join a European study to see whether disabled people could become permanent crew members on the International Space Station.
“I found this a very interesting and exciting opportunity – not only from a personal point of view, but also from a sociological point of view. What the European Space Agency is proposing and trying to do was very interesting,” he said.
McFaul was approved last month as the world's first “quasi-astronaut” after passing months of rigorous tests on his ability to perform emergency procedures in orbit and to move and stabilize himself in microgravity.
The research includes the effects on bone density and how fluids move around in the body in microgravity, which could affect the fit of prosthetic limbs that would have to be worn continuously on the ISS.
McFaul hopes his experience, and that of the 4,000 others competing in the Paralympics this week, will serve as an inspiring message to others facing life-changing situations.
“My advice to anyone who's been through something like this traumatic or life-changing event is to find something that you're passionate about, whatever it is, because that's what will reward you and help you. I'm not saying redefine yourself, but it will help you reframe your sense of self,” he said.
“I'm just one person. Over the next few weeks, you'll see hundreds of people competing at the highest level.”
So how do Britain's medallists assess their chances of winning the 19 sports the British team will be taking part in at the Paris Games, which begin on Wednesday?
“Great Britain is always a very strong nation at the Paralympics, so to finish in the top three, top five in terms of medals is always great. I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens and I'll be there.”
(Reporting by Tim Heffer; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
