INSPIRATIONAL former boxer Michael Watson said he is “absolutely honoured” to be one of the chosen few to carry the Paralympic flame through London today.
The retired fighter from Chingford suffered life-changing injuries aged just 26 during a WBO super middleweight title fight in 1991, which left him with a blood clot on the brain and put him in a coma for 40 days.
It took him six years to learn how to walk again but the 47-year-old now has only minor speech and mobility problems despite doctors saying he would be left in a vegetative state.
Now, 21 years on, the legendary sportsman will carry the Paralympic torch in recognition of his years of fundraising for charities including the Brain and Spine Foundation and the Teenage Cancer Trust and for being a role model for other people trying to overcome similar obstacles in life.
He said: “I’m absolutely honoured and overwhelmed. It was a surprise and I will feel proud and so emotional while I carry it.
“It will feel incredible, there will be millions, billions, watching so I feel it is a great achievement for me. I want to thank all the people who have supported me over the years.”
He said the athletes who will take part in the Paralympics are similar to him, having had to battle adversity to achieve success in their lives.
“It will feel incredible, there will be millions, billions, watching so I feel it is a great achievement for me. I want to thank all the people who have supported me over the years.”
He said the athletes who will take part in the Paralympics are similar to him, having had to battle adversity to achieve success in their lives.
“They have had to overcome big challenges so I am proud of the athletes for everything they have been through,” he added.
It’s a time to celebrate people with disabilities, it’s a chance to create a huge legacy. Life is precious and this is a great way to celebrate it – they are more inspirational than able-bodied athletes because they have been up against more.”
The boxer will carry the flame in Trafalgar Square later today, along with wheelchair racer Dame Tanni Grey Thompson and Paralympic swimmer Chris Holmes.
The torch reached London overnight as part of a 24-hour torch relay to mark the start of the Paralympics.
It has been carried 92 miles from Stoke Mandeville, where it was lit, and where the Paralympics were first conceived.
The flame will reach Leyton today just hours before the start of the opening ceremony at the Olympic Park in Stratford, entering the borough from the Hackney end of Lea Bridge Road by the Lea Valley Ice Centre in Leyton at 6.54pm.
It will then turn right into Orient Way and travel along the street to Marsh Lane playing fields and Ive Farm, which have been linked and rebranded ‘Leyton Jubilee Park’ as part of a £2million renovation, just before 7.30pm.
The flame will then be driven to the next leg of the relay in Barking, before being whisked to Newham for the opening ceremony of the Paralympics at around 8.30pm.
At the Jubilee Park there will be a funfair, a climbing wall and live entertainment at the park between 5pm and 9pm to mark the occasion.
Entry is free and no tickets are required.
