Transplant athlete wins golds at world games

An athlete who had a kidney transplant in his 40s has returned from the World Transplant Games with three gold medals.

Vince Taylor, 63, from Christchurch, Dorset, suffered from a hereditary kidney problem but after receiving a new organ from his then-wife, he became a regular competitor at sports events for transplant recipients.

Last month, at his sixth World Transplant Games in Dresden, Germany, Mr Taylor won the 100m, 200m and long jump competitions for men in their 60s.

"I never did any of this through school so having it in later life is great," he said.

About 2,500 athletes and teams from 51 countries competed across what organisers said was "a week of competition and camaraderie".

Great Britain topped the medal table, scooping 173 golds, 132 silvers and 98 bronze medals.

Mr Taylor brought home golds in the 100m, 200m and long jump

Mr Taylor said competing again for his country "really does put the hairs on the back of your neck up".

He added: "You can't really quite believe you've been selected for a start. You wear [the flag] with pride but you also know the journey that it's taken to get there."

After initially competing in tennis at transplant games, Mr Taylor switched to athletics. In August, he won the 100m in 13.91 seconds, 200m in 29.36 seconds and jumped 4.47m in the long jump.

"I have been given the gift of life by having an organ given to me and I'm so very grateful that I owe it to not just my daughter but to my donor – my ex-wife – to maintain it for as long as I can and give it the best chance it's got," he added.

"I feel very lucky and I am very grateful. I know that there are some people who are not as lucky at the moment and they're waiting for kidneys or hearts and lungs. For myself, I feel grateful, just very grateful."