'This sport is my life' - Flynn makes Paralympic squad

Wheelchair rugby subordinate Kieran Flynn hopes nan sacrifices he has made tin salary dividends astatine nan Paris Paralympics.

The Great Britain squad won a historic golden medal successful Tokyo – nan first British badge successful nan sport, besides known arsenic Murderball - and are aiming to clasp their title successful Paris later this summertime pinch Flynn named connected Monday arsenic portion of nan squad.

"Every time location are sacrifices to beryllium nan champion you can, but being selected is nan justification for it successful my eyes and I want to do my family and friends proud successful Paris," he told BBC Sport.

"This athletics is my life and each time I americium trying to beryllium nan champion jock I tin be. Whether that is giving my each astatine a gym session, doing nan on-court activity to effort to make our line-ups better, doing nan video study astatine location aliases conscionable eating right, I americium perpetually evolving arsenic an athlete.

"There is simply a unit to clasp nan Paralympic title but arsenic a squad we are very bully astatine dealing pinch that. If we play to our abilities, we person a bully chance but six aliases 7 of nan 8 teams successful Paris tin triumph gold."

Flynn is 1 of 5 Paralympic debutants named alongside 7 players who were portion of nan victorious 2021 squad that hit nan USA 54-49 successful nan final, including Gavin Walker, nan Tokyo vice-captain and skipper this time, Aaron Phipps, Stuart Robinson and Jonny Coggan, who will beryllium competing astatine his sixth Games.

The Nantwich man captained nan GB talent squad successful nan build-up to Tokyo and joined nan elite squad successful precocious 2021.

Since then, he has represented GB astatine world and European championships and was precocious voted nan champion subordinate successful his 2.0 people astatine nan Canada Cup, nan past world tourney earlier nan Paris competition, which takes spot from 29 August-2 September.

The 31-year-old, who is 1 of 4 Leicester Tigers players successful nan squad, came to Para-sport aft sustaining a spinal wounded while playing for his section rugby nine successful 2013 and says that he ne'er thought aft his mishap that he would get to this point.

"I spent 3 weeks successful intensive care, not really knowing what was going on, only that I couldn’t consciousness my legs and I couldn’t move my arms aliases moreover cough to clear my lungs without nan thief of a machine," he said.

"I ballooned up to 21 chromatic and astir apt suffered slump moreover though I didn’t realise it astatine nan time.

"When I sewage transferred to nan spinal injuries centre astatine Oswestry, Tony Stackhouse, who had played for Great Britain successful Sydney and Athens, came successful and told maine that I should effort wheelchair rugby.

"Josie Pearson, who played for GB earlier winning athletics golden astatine London 2012, besides said to maine and seeing what an effect athletics had connected her life inspired me.

"There were times erstwhile I collapsed down pinch family and nan frustrations came retired but having figures astir maine for illustration my mum, grandparents and friends helped.

"Then coming into a athletics wherever location are truthful galore others successful a akin situation, but further down nan line, who you tin pat into them for knowledge and help, has helped maine arsenic well.

"It has been a crazy journey, but you study truthful overmuch astir yourself."