Grasping the famous Olympic Flame has inspired war hero Dave Watson to aim for gold.
Guardsman Dave, 25, of School Lane, Bamber Bridge, has re-lived the memory of carrying the Olympic Torch every day since he carried it through Lancaster 10 days ago.
Dave, who lost both legs and his stronger right arm in a bomb blast in Afghanistan, has now vowed to use the moment of inspiration to spur him on to win a place the discus and shooting teams in the 2016 Paralympics.
He said: “It was brilliant, it was absolutely fantastic because all of my family and friends were there and it was brilliant having the Scots Guards there too.
“I am still thinkingW about it every day, it will be a long time before I forget about that.
“I am going to start training now and see if I can get in for 2016.
“It has inspired me being part of the Olympics and carrying the torch has inspired me to start training.”
Dave had originally hoped to win a place in the 2012 Paralympics after making a remarkable recovery, after stepping on an improvised explosive device in May 2010.
But he suffered a dislocated shoulder after pushing the weight training, in a bid to build up his strength.
He has since won a clutch of medals in the Amputee Games at Stoke Mandeville and an international-standard event in America last year.
Dave is now back at home for the next three months before undertaking another cycle of intensive treatment at Headley Court in Surrey.
During his stint at home he will start driving lessons and move into a new home which is being specially adapted with a separate wing for Dave to live in.
But before leaving he got a taste for a new hobby - 14,000 feet sky dives.
He said: “I free-fell 7,000 feet in 40 seconds and glided the rest of the way down.
“I felt nervous before but as soon as it happened I was loving it and I will definitely do it again. It really was a mad adrenaline rush.”
But before he takes to the skies again, he will travel to New York for a series of ‘hand-cycle rides’.
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