Rower Alastair McKean, with crew-mates James Morgan, Vicki Hansford and Naomi Riches, will look to continue Britain’s rich history in the sport by going for gold at the Paralympic rowing regatta at Shunyi Lake, near Beijing, next Thursday (September 11)

This is the first time that rowing has been included in the Games and McKean can’t wait to get started.

He said: "It would be special for us to become the first gold medallist in the event. I can’t wait to sample the atmosphere."

When McKean, from Whitstable, 29, collided with a truck in June 2000 – riding his motorcycle, he was hit in the head by a wayward bird – he broke his arm in eight places, had 64 stitches and severed several nerves. He lost 80 percent of the feeling in his arm.

He said: "Breaking my arm so many times and having the stitches wasn’t the main problem.

"It was the nerve damage that was really bad. I ended up with no bicep because of it.

"Rehabilitation lasted for two years and I then trained as a teacher. My handwriting leaves a lot to be desired, though. I have taught myself to use my left hand but I’m still learning. At the moment it looks like a four-year-old’s."

A keen rower at Herne Bay before the crash, McKean joined the adaptive mixed coxed fours in 2005, quitting his job as a teacher at Canterbury High in 2007 to go full-time, with the help of funding by UK Sport.

He added: "Since 2005 we have had a lot of success, winning the world championships in 2005 and 2006, before finishing runners-up to Germany last year. They will be our main rivals but we are confident we can come away with gold."