by Alex Hoad

GB wheelchair rugby skipper Steve Brown is desperate to land a Paralympic medal at London 2012 and end the country’s run of fourth-placed finishes.

The 31-year-old from Sittingbourne – who was raised on the Isle of Sheppey - will be appearing in his first Games this summer after narrowly missing out on the squad for Beijing four years ago.

When London was announced as the host of the 2012 Olympics and Paralympics seven years ago, Brown was in a hospital bed shortly after breaking his neck in a fall from a first-floor balcony while working overseas.

However on Monday he moved into the athlete’s village in Stratford and revealed the Games occupied almost his every waking thought.

He said: “There are no more milestones. I remember it being two years to go, 500 days, a year, 100 days. Then it was after the Tour de France and the Olympics, now there is nothing more to come. It’s here.”

Brown added: “It’s exciting. It’s all I can think about. We’ve been on a training camp in Norfolk and every moment is spent thinking about the Games.

“I spent an hour and a half washing up a cup yesterday. You lose yourself, your mind wanders. You’re driving down the road and you start thinking about the Games, tactics, opponents.

“I was lying in bed and I thought of a move that might help us to score and all I could think of was writing it out to tell the coach.”

Wheelchair rugby is heralded as one of the most spectacular sports of the Paralympics, but is not for the faint-hearted.

The sport was originally dubbed ‘Murderball’ on its inception in Canada in the 1970s and Brown ended up in intensive care for three days after one clash with two opponents in 2009, receiving a broken sternum, six broken ribs and a bruised heart.

Brown said: “People talk about the speed and say it’s like bumper cars with a ball, but I think there is a tactical element which sports fans will enjoy – I say it’s like chess with violence.

“It’s not just the speed and aggression, it is very tactical and it doesn't take long before you get into it.

“There is something for every sports fan in it – I’m told you get caught up in it and can forget you are watching a wheelchair sport.”

GB finished fourth in the previous two Games and face a tough task if they are to make the podium in London, with the World's No1 side and defending gold medallists USA first-up in their group on September 5.

If they can overcome France and Japan in their other pool Games then GB could face Beijing silver-medallists Australia in the semi-finals.

Brown said: “The USA are world champions and always number one in the world. We have them first but if we want to win our pool then we’ve got to win all our games.

“GB have consistently been fourth in competitions which is the worst place you can be. We want to win a medal. It is going to be tough but on our day we have the quality to do it.

“There is very little between the teams and on any day you never know who is going to come out on top.”

He added: “I want to play for my teammates and my coaches first and foremost but to have the support of the home crowd would mean a lot to all of us, and it would definitely help us trying to win that medal.”