A 14-year-old Ben Watson was paralysed in a hospital bed, 18 years later he is preparing for his first Paralympic games.

In 2003 Ben was diagnosed with Guillain Barre syndrome, a condition where the immune system wrongfully attacks the nerve cells. For Ben, this caused him to lose control of his legs, as well as residual weakness in other areas.

“I was paralysed in hospital for a couple of months, then I came out of hospital and endured physio. I was then in a wheelchair for 9 months and crutches for another 18 months after that.

“So effectively I had to learn to walk again, and I’ve been left with weakness in my hands. Below my knees I don’t have very much movement, sensation, control, or circulation either,” he says.

This meant he could no longer play football or rugby so found himself borrowing a mountain bike from a friend.

“Mountain biking was just something I did all the way through university, and I never even thought about parasport as an option.”

However, in 2016 after the Rio Olympics, British Cycling held a talent ID Day where a friend encouraged him to go along to this to see what may come of it.

The session was a success for Ben as he was then brought into the academy in which he was classified as a C3 rider.

Noticing that he had talent as a para cyclist, the Glossop athlete decided to fund his own entry to the World Cup in Holland, an event which saw him win a bronze medal and subsequently qualify for the World Championships in South Africa.

Performing well here, he came away from this race with a silver medal and the opportunity to commit to the bike full time.

“I love competing for my country, I love racing,” Ben says as he prepares to embark on his biggest journey yet, the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

This will be Ben’s first time competing at a Paralympic event and he is beyond excited to fly to Japan with the rest of his team.

“The last five years of hard work are now paying off and I still don’t think it’s really sunk in and it’s so awesome to get that phone call saying you are going to the games.

“We fly to Tokyo on 23 August, I compete in the time trial on 31 August and then the road race on 2 September.

“I’m in the best place I could be for the games and I’m really looking forward to get out there, do my best and enjoy myself,” he says.

Ben says he works well under pressure and has set his sights high for the competition hoping to come away with a medal.

The opening of the Olympics this year has been hugely successful for Team GB, with medals flying in from sports across the boards. Now Ben is hoping that the Paralympics will bring home equal achievements.

“There seems to be a games fever going around, it seems to be giving everyone a really nice morale boost.

“Hopefully we will once again see the world coming together to celebrate sport and it should be even more personal with what’s been going on over the last year,” he says.

Ben specialises in road racing, meaning his training has consisted of high volume and plenty of races where possible. The team have also been lucky enough to attend training camps to places such as New York and Portugal, helping to extend their training opportunities.

While training has been tough and the hours have been long, nothing can replace the feeling of being chosen for the games and attending with some huge names.

This will be Dame Sarah Storey’s eighth Paralympic games, an athlete who has transformed the Paralympic scene as we know it.

“We train with hugely successful athletes all the time, when I first came onto the team, I was a bit starstruck. You come into the centre and see Jason and Laura Kenney, Ed Clancy and every now and again Chris Hoyle will walk into the building.

“Having these people who are normal people doing the world’s best at things is so inspiring and helps to push you further,” Ben says.

The Tokyo Paralympic Games is set to commence on Tuesday 24 August and will see the world’s best athletes doing what they do best in the sports we love.

You can listen to our full chat with Ben here:  

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