A young soldier whose dreams were torn apart after losing a leg to an IED blast in Afghanistan, is hoping for snowboard glory at the Winter Paralympics in South Korea.
Owen Pick, who was just 18 when he was blown up by a landmine three months into his first tour of duty, had never been on a snowboard until five years ago.
But Owen, who served with the 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment, has confounded experts by racing through the ranks to claim a spot on the GB team in Peyongchang and become an inspiration to disabled and injured youngsters.
Now aged 26, he said: “I can’t really believe I’ve made it this far because losing a leg at 18 years old is not exactly a good career move.”
Owen, of Cambridge, added: “My right leg was wrecked so it had to be amputated below the knee.
“I’d always wanted to be a soldier and had gone through the cadets but, instead of a career stretching out in front of me, I was on the scrapheap at 18.
“But I’m a positive person and there was nothing I could do to turn back the clock so I had to get on with my new life although I had no idea what to do.”
Owen was medically discharged from the Army and was later taken on a ski course by Blesma, the Limbless Veterans charity, where his talent shone through instantly.
He said: “I had never been on snow before so didn’t know what to expect but the course was brilliant and I just loved snowboarding.
“I did an instructor’s course with Blesma’s support and just went on from there.
“I did my first competition in 2014 at the French adaptive ski championships and got a silver.
“I’d only been training for it four days and was beating experienced snowboarders.”
Owen, who competes in wakeboarding events during the summer, got a prestigious invite to the Winter X-Games, the annual adrenaline-fuelled ski and snowboard tricks and race event as he honed his skills to win a place on the GB Paralympics development squad.
“It’s pretty amazing how far I’ve come since I first stood on a snowboard with no idea what to do,” he adds.
“The accident changed my life but thanks to the support of a lot of people I’ve been given a chance to do something special.
“I was just 18 years old when I got blown up. We’d been under fire all day and got the order to assault a compound after a firefight as we helped out a section that had come under heavy contact.
“The first three dropped their bags so they could be a bit lighter once they got in and one of them said to me, ‘Just get the bags’, but when I took a step there was a big explosion and that was the last I remember. “Apparently I came round asking for a cigarette. I battled for 18 months to keep my leg, but in the end nothing was working.
“The surgeons gave me the choice: take it off or keep having numerous operations in the hope that it might get better.
“In August 2011, I eventually decided to have my leg amputated below the knee.
“I felt relieved once I’d made the decision, and since then I’ve not looked back.”
Barry Le Grys, chief executive of Blesma, the Limbless Veterans said: “Owen was just at the start of his Army career when he suffered a devastating injury but like many veterans he refused to let it ruin his life. “Blesma runs a range of courses to help veterans recover their independence and Owen has grabbed his opportunity.
“It is incredible to think that he’d never been on a ski slope or stood on a snowboard until five years ago but is now proudly representing his nation.
“His determination is inspirational.”
Owen added: “I’m thrilled to be part of the GB team and proud of what I’ve achieved and will give it my best shot.
“It would be great to get on the podium but if I can inspire young kids, disabled or not, to get out there and do something that would be great.
“I get emails and people saying they have been inspired by me and I recently visited a 13-year-old kid who had lost his leg to meningitis - one day he’s fine and two weeks later he’s an amputee.
“I visited him in hospital and told him it’s not too bad, that there is a future and I hope that helped.
“I’ll be happy if my impact is giving people the impetus to get out there and try something.”
Owen came through a tough selection process to join Ben Moore and James Barnes-Miller as the first Brits to compete in the banked slalom and snowboarder cross events next week.