Paralympics British armed forces hero – Jon-Allan Butterworth

Jon-Allan Butterworth is a 26-year-old cyclist who is taking part in the Paralympic Games.

Butterworth joined the RAF at the age of 16 in 2002 and lost his left arm in a rocket attack on Basra Air Station back in 2007.

After linking up with the British Para-Cycling Development Programme via military charity Battle Back, he took part in the 350-mile Help for Heroes Big Battlefield Bike Ride in 2008, which whetted his appetite for the sport and he has not looked back since.

Butterworth was inspired by the efforts of Sir Chris Hoy in the Beijing Olympic Games, when the Scot took home three gold medals in the velodrome.

He specialises in the Kilo and Individual Pursuit disciplines – indeed he currently holds the world record for the 1km time trial – while his disability classification is C5.

The rider – who does not get fazed by speeding around the arena, but does not enjoy going down hills – has since developed into one of the best para-cyclists in the world and is a strong favourite to land a gold medal at the Paralympics.

Posted by Trevor Smith