Telford Paralympian's hill climb on hands 'bigger than gold medal'

Mickey Bushell said he could see the Wrekin from his bedroom window but had never been to the top

A Paralympian who scaled Shropshire's Wrekin on his hands to raise money to help other wheelchair users said the achievement felt bigger than his gold medal win.

Mickey Bushell set aside his own chair for the climb of the 1,334ft [406.6m] hill which took more than five hours.

Before the challenge he said it was not too far for a pair of legs but a different matter "for a pair of arms".

Saturday's feat has so far raised about £3,500.

It is to support the work of his academy which runs exercise and life skills classes.

The gold medallist in wheelchair racing said despite having always lived in Telford, he had not been at the top of the Wrekin before.

After completing the task, he described the climb as "cool".

It had been a "tough day" but an "amazing experience", the athlete, who won the men's 100m T53 at the London Paralympics in 2012, added.

"I almost think today was probably a bigger day than it was in 2012 right now," he said.

Mickey Bushell was supported by a back-up team who spurred him on

Mr Bushell prepared for the climb by working with his training partners Rob Bickerton and Silvia Ondrejkova whom he said had been a "massive support".

"Originally I thought 'it's only the Wrekin, it's not too far' - maybe for a pair of legs, but not for a pair of arms," he had said prior to the undertaking.

Mickey Bushell said he was "ditching" his wheelchair for the challenge

He said the academy aimed to provide free courses for wheelchair users.

He set up a GoFundMe page for his challenge and said he was "trying to raise as much money as possible" for projects that helped people gain more independence.

The "incredible" amount of money raised so far would fund several projects, he said.

"It's a life-changing course that we put on and we help people in wheelchairs to gain skills, to get out and do stuff - whatever that might be - to go and live life," he said.

Mr Bushell was encouraged by supporters who cheered his progress

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