Simon Munn: From Tragedy to Triumph

Simon Munn may not be a household name, but the 5-time Paralympian has an inspirational story to tell. After losing his left leg in a tragic accident, the Milton Keynes resident dedicated his life to becoming the best in his chosen field of wheelchair basketball.

Now, at 43-years-old, Munn is one of the most experienced athletes in Team GB with Paralympic silver, bronze and numerous world and European titles to his name from a career that has spanned nearly twenty years.

Of course it could have been so different had one fateful walk home from the pub gone without incident. Munn decided to take a short cut across a railway track and in the darkness slipped and trapped his foot in the points. Despite screaming for help and attempting to break free, nothing worked.

After finally accepting his fate, the train hurtled towards him and while still fully conscious completely severed his leg. Despite rapidly losing blood and drifting in and out of consciousness, Munn somehow found the strength to crawl towards the dual carriageway.

After being rescued by a passing driver he arrived at Milton Keynes hospital with just one-and-a-half pints of blood left in his body. Yet, despite the incredible injuries sustained Munn made a full recovery and two decades later is regarded as one of the toughest players on the court.

"After the accident I wanted to dedicate myself to a sport as I had always been playing football for my school or rolling skating for my county," explains the experienced and decorated Munn. "I had always had a love affair with sport, but it wasn't until the accident that I decided to put everything into it.

"I wanted to play a team sport and I wanted it to be an aggressive one, so basketball was the natural option. It is incredibly hard work, especially on your arms and hands and it's supposed to be a non contact sport but anyone that watches or knows the game can tell that it is pretty physical."

Wheelchair basketball is regarded as one of the standout events at the Paralympics, with its roots going all the way back to the 1940s when it was initially used as rehabilitation for spinal cord injury patients.

Now the sport boasts a British National League consisting of 65 teams playing across nine extremely competitive divisions. It is also one of the premiere events at the Paralympics with Munn often playing in front of 15,000 vocal fans.

"I love having a bit of banter with the fans and even if they are cheering against us it just makes me want to up my game even more."

The highly competitive Munn, who plays for the Milton Keynes Aces, also believes the reason the sport is so popular is a combination of the fast pace and physicality. However he also reveals that he wants it viewed simply as a sport, rather than a disability sport.

"When I first started playing I quickly got past the barrier and realised that it is a sport in its own right. When I describe it to people I often make the comparison with cyclists who also use a piece of equipment."

In fact the league allows able-bodied competitors to compete in the top four divisions, in fact it encourages people of all ages to participate and attempt to replicate the success of Munn.

Having competed at the top since the early nineties, Munn now has his sights set on going one better and making the final in London in what could prove to be his sixth and final Paralympic Games.

"I'm sure London will be a huge spectacle but we certainly aren't going there to simply make up the numbers. If we can't compete then we certainly won't enjoy the experience," explains Munn who is known to his teammates simply as 'The Big Man'.

"I think we can compete with the likes of Canada and Australia [Australia beat Canada in the 2008 Paralympic final] as we have a strong squad. We just need to make sure that it happens on the day as this will probably be my final tournament."

If it is to be Munn's final hurrah then he will hope that in front of a home crowd including his friends and family who "all think I can get them free tickets", Britain manage to make the final and perhaps even deliver that elusive gold medal.

The BT Paralympic World Cup will take place in Manchester from 23-28 May 2011, featuring elite international athletes in wheelchair basketball, athletics and swimming. Channel 4 will be broadcasting live from the Aquatics Centre on 28 May. For tickets visit: www.btparalympicworldcup.com