A COCKERMOUTH athlete has revealed his ambition to become a paralympic champion.

Grant Taylor, 24, is training to become a skiing medalist in the 2022 Paralympics in Bejing.

Grant has a rare muscle-wasting condition called motor neuropathy, which means his brain and muscles do not communicate properly and has battled against the odds to pursue his sporting dream.

After an initial career in swimming, his condition worsened and he was forced to leave the sport. But around two years ago he discovered sit-on skiing, at which he excels.

Grant said: “I’m doing really well, skiing is difficult but it’s more exhilarating. I had a huge passion for swimming but I wasn’t competitive any more because of my muscles.”

Now Grant is fundraising to help pay for his training, for which he has to go abroad to France, Austria and Holland, as the ski slopes in the UK are not long enough.

He said: “It’s very expensive and I’m doing everything I can to get the training in. This will be the first time I get to represent Cumbria and Cockermouth on team GB, it’s an absolute honour. Just to see your name on the board is pretty special. You mostly see French, Austrian, Canadian and Swiss skiers and it’s good to see the GB flag between them.”

To support Grant, you can contact Heathlands, based in Carlisle, or Grant through his Facebook page Grant Taylor Skiing.

He added: “My family are very proud of me, I’ve gained a lot of respect from people with the amount of travelling I do on my own and being out in freezing temperatures whether it’s snowy or icy, the temperatures there get down to -25C. I’d like to thank everyone in Cockermouth, they’ve been absolutely incredible to me, I couldn’t have a better community.”