An athlete who missed the Paralympics because he was “clinically dying” has come back stronger than ever.

John Smith, of Beechwood Gardens, Meopham, was in hospital for more than seven weeks after he contracted septicaemia during a qualifying event in South Korea this summer.

After 10 years of training, he missed his dream of competing in Rio but now the 26-year-old is back in his racing wheelchair and has his sights on the world championships in June 2017.

He said: “I’ve just got back from a half marathon in Lisbon.

“My trainers said to use it as a way to measure my progress.

“I wasn’t going out to win or lose, just to test myself.

“I came second, and was 20 seconds off my personal best.

“When I was discharged, the doctors told me to get back into training slowly and not push myself until the end of the year.

“I tried to listen but this is me – I had to get back into it.

“For 10 years, I’ve trained every day. I can’t have had more than two weeks off over the whole time. To go from that to months without anything is all the break I needed.

“Yes, I was recovering from septicaemia, but it was a rest for my body too in a way.

“Eight weeks ago, the doctor told me my body was clinically dying. Now I’m back to how I was before and ahead of where I expected to be.”

The former amateur boxer, who turned his life around after being shot in the spine aged 16 while lamping for rabbits, is ranked number two in Team GB.

Only his training partner and six-times gold medallist, David Weir, is above him.

Team GB did not come back with any medals for wheelchair racing in Rio and Mr Smith said he was disappointed not to have been able to compete.

“I know some of the team were disappointed but they gave it their best and there were some personal bests too.”

Mr Smith is now starting his four-year Olympic preparation cycle again, and has his sights firmly set on Tokyo 2020.