Paralympics British armed forces hero – Derek Derenalagi

Making his debut in the Paralympic Games at London 2012, Derek Derenalagi has quite a story to tell.

Five years ago, he was initially pronounced dead after being injured while on a tour of duty in Afghanistan until a faint pulse was noticed on the operating table.

However, despite losing both legs in the explosion, Derenalagi showed tremendous courage to fight back from this perilous position and is now looking to crown his turnaround in fortunes with a gold medal.

After being spotted at a Paralympic Potential Day and receiving support from military charity Battle Back, he was eventually enrolled on a Talent Transition Programme sponsored by the British Paralympic Association.

Now, Derenalagi will be competing in the discus in the Games – he is the current European Paralympic champion and also takes part in the javelin – and he also has ambitions to become a full-time fitness instructor.

Speaking of his lucky escape from death, the former soldier told the Sun: "I'd a chance of a new life where I could try to inspire others. I swore that's what I would do."

Posted by Trevor Smith