From golf pro to wheelchair rugby star

Chris Ryan started playing wheelchair rugby after a car accident in 2008

Chris Ryan once dreamt of playing golf for Team GB at the Rio Olympics, now he looks set to represent his country in wheelchair rugby instead.

At 17, a car crash left him paralysed from the chest down and Chris thought he'd never play sport again.

"I remember waking up and trying to walk out of the car but nothing followed. My head moved but that was it."

Before the accident he was about to turn pro as a golfer.

Originally from Welwyn Garden City, in Hertfordshire, he enrolled at a golf academy and was studying for a B-Tech in Sports Evaluation and Performance.

But in November 2008 his life changed forever.

The driver of the hatch-back he was travelling in lost control and the car crashed down a 12ft drainage dyke.

"I was in the middle at the back, the roof caved in on my head and I was knocked unconscious.

"By the time I woke up, the last person was getting out of the car. Everyone else was OK - one person had a slipped disc, but I was stuck in my seat."

Chris had broken his neck.

"I was panicking in the ambulance, thinking, 'Am I going to die, am I going to be able play again'?

"They told me I would probably be paralysed, but there's always that stage where you think you are going to be the one that improves. Your family are all around you reading up about things like stem cell research. It takes a while for it to hit home and everyone accept it."

Recovery

Chris underwent a year of rehab at the specialist spinal unit of Stoke Mandeville hospital.

Whilst recovering there, he was introduced to wheelchair rugby by the sports therapist.

"I'd never heard of it before and at first I was sceptical" Chris, now 23, tells Newsbeat.

But after being discharged from Stoke Mandeville he decided to give the sport a go and in 2010 he joined a club in London.

Played with teams of four-a-side there are typically 50 goals per game

Chris worked hard to improve his strength and speed and was put on the reserve list for London 2012.

He was then selected to the full GB squad in 2013 and named vice captain in March last year.

As vice-captain, Chris is hoping to be part of ParalympicsGB in Rio next year, but they need to qualify by finishing in the top two at the European Championships later this year.

"I'm sure it will be pretty emotional if I do get to Rio" admits Chris.

Chris will be taking part in the National Championships at the Olympic Park this weekend.

The future

Reflecting on how his life has changed since his accident in 2008 Chris says: "I'm definitely at peace with what has happened to me.

"There are always times when you think about life before the accident. When I get invited to a golf course it's like 'remember how good I used to be', but overall I'm happy, very happy.

Chris says 'there is always someone worse off than you.'

"At first I thought I was the unluckiest person in the world, but something you quickly learn in hospital is that there is always someone worse off than you.

"There's some people in there who can just about move their neck, so I have a lot of empathy with them, not my own situation.

"It's just about getting on with your life."

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