Veteran Targeting Paralympic Success In 2020

Luke Sinnott, a former Royal Engineer, is one of the world's best Paralympic long jumpers - representing his country on the international stage at the highest level.

After disappointment at last year's European Championships in Berlin, Sinnott is already looking forward to some big challenges coming up in his long jump career.

In November, he will head to Dubai for the World Championships before the Paralympic Games in Tokyo next year.

Sinnott said his experiences in Berlin show he is now "mentally ready" to perform on two of the world's biggest stages.

"It's a shame that it all comes down to six jumps. Six jumps - that's it," he explained.

"All that training, all that hard work for six jumps." 

But off the track, Sinnott spends his spare time very differently to many other athletes.

He has a pilot's licence and is a trustee of Flying For Freedom which helps injured serving and ex-serving personnel to fly in microlight aircraft.

The group's current project is a daring expedition to fly to the South Pole, although it has been put on the backburner while Sinnott prepares for the Paralympics after a serious crash in Sweden nearly resulted in injury for Sinnott.

Sinnott's work both on and off the track has led to him being nominated for a Soldiering On award and believes he has a unique platform.

He said: "If I had been a guy with legs and walked into the room and said 'this is how I do business', most people would've been like 'whatever'.

"But not having legs, suddenly people are really interested."