Amputee athlete Walid Saleh sets his sight on the Paralympics…

Walid Saleh, originally from the Sudan, was only 14 when he had to have his right leg amputated after getting caught in the crossfire between fighting forces in 2013.

But now, after making his home in the UK, determined Walid is making his name as a track and field athlete, with the aid of a special running blade.

And along with working towards 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics, Walid has also another ambition – to support other people who have lost a limb.

Walid remembers little from the day he was shot, other than the fact he woke up in hospital and had to be told he had lost a leg.

“I had never seen anyone who had lost an arm or a leg before, I thought I was the only amputee in the world,” he said.

The surgery left young Walid suffering from acute depression, with him not wanting to even leave the house.

“I stopped everything, I didn’t go to school, I just didn’t want to see anyone,” he said.

It was while looking at YouTube that Walid came across the man who would help change his life – British athlete and double amputee, Richard Whitehead MBE.

“I just went on to YouTube and put in the word amputee to see if there was anyone out there like me and I saw a video on Richard Whitehead,” said Walid.

“And I just thought he was amazing and I realised then I wanted to be like him.”

In 2015 Walid was able to come to the UK as a refugee, hardly able to speak English but with two ambitions – to become an athlete and to learn about prosthetics so he could help other people.

“A prosthetic limb should be made especially for you but the one I was given in the Sudan had belonged to someone else and was too big,” he said.

“It was attached with a waist band and a shoulder strap and really difficult to wear. It wasn’t until I got to the UK that I also realised that I hadn’t been walking properly so I had to learn to walk again.”

With running still very much on his mind, Walid applied to the Richard Whitehead Foundation which was set up to help disabled young people fulfill their aspirations.

Under its Nissan Possibilities Project, the Foundation wanted to help four young people with limb loss by funding running prosthetics – and Walid was lucky enough to be a recipient.

“It has made a massive difference to me, having a running blade,” he said.

Walid is a 100 metre sprinter currently training four days a week with his eye very much on the prize of the 2028 games.

He has also recently successfully completed his degree in prosthetics at the University of Salford and now has a number of job offers on the table.

Walid has also recently signed to sports agency, Athlete Media Group, which supports athletes from all disciplines in growing their personal brands and in raising awareness of the good causes they are passionate about.

“My life has changed so much but I feel now that I am very lucky and am ready to show other people who may have the same kind of injuries that you can achieve your dreams,” he said.