The road to Rio was not a path wheelchair rugby player Steve Brown expected he would be negotiating.

The 34-year-old, from Sittingbourne, captained the side at the London 2012 games and retired from the international scene shortly afterwards.

But last week, it was confirmed he would be coming out of retirement to compete for a place in the squad for the 2016 Paralympics.

“There are still a couple of hoops to jump in terms of selection,” he said.

“There are three or four major competitions coming up in Australia and Canada. I will be playing in those and if I am good enough I will be going to Rio.”

While he was disappointed the team did not win a medal in London, finishing fifth, Steve unexpectedly found himself in the spotlight.

He was offered work with Sky Sports and has appeared on ITV, Channel 4 and the BBC, at various sporting events including the Invictus Games and the Sky Sports show Game Changers.

Steve, who lives in Farm Crescent, also found himself in demand as a motivational speaker, a role which has taken him around the world.

"The thing I like most about team sports is helping others do well and watching teammates progress” - paralympic star Steve Brown

He said: “It got to the point when, after London 2012, I had to decide if I was going to carry on being an athlete or turn work into a career.

"I retired from international sport and concentrated efforts on new work opportunities I had been given on the back of 2012.”

Despite retiring, Steve, who grew up on Sheppey, remained committed to the sport, playing for London-based Kent Crusaders and coaching a team in Canterbury.

He said: “The void of being captain at London 2012 was filled by the opportunity to coach.

"The thing I like most about team sports is helping others do well and watching teammates progress.”

It was after the BT National Championships in May that he started to change his mind about representing Great Britain in Brazil.

He said: “I got voted best in class at the nationals.

"When that happened, I got a phone call from the GB coach the next day saying ‘How can I have the best player in your classification not playing for the country?’

“We looked at how we could make it work and I’ve just gone back to the GB squad to fight for a place at Rio.”

Steve will complete work commitments he has in his diary, which includes working for ITV on a World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge at the Copper Box arena at the Olympic Park in October, part of a festival of rugby for this year’s world cup.

Meanwhile, he faces a nervous wait to see if GB can secure their place at Rio.

He said: “It’s the same as any other team – we have to qualify. We have to finish in the top two in the Europeans in Finland in a couple of months.”

While wheelchair rugby has seen a dramatic rise in popularity – Steve says the challenge at the Copper Box will be the first time a disability sport has been shown on TV in its own right – it is not cheap.

“My cost of living is going to be going right up,” he said. “I have to buy a new chair.

"The equipment you need for wheelchair rugby cost me £25,000 for London 2012.”

• Anyone interested in sponsoring Steve should email stevebrowngb@hotmail.co.uk