Sport – in all weather March 2014

With the sports prostheses from Ottobock, John McFall is in top form no matter what the season

The idea of participating in sports is entirely new for most prosthesis wearers. With the right equipment, sport has gained a whole new meaning for former Paralympic Games athlete John McFall: "When I ran with a sports prosthesis for the first time, it felt so normal – almost natural." Even after his career as a professional athlete, this topic plays a major role in his eventful biography. During the summer months, the 32- year-old father and family man uses every spare moment to go jogging with the 3S80 Sports Prosthesis System in his Welsh hometown of Caerphilly. On the slopes, he finds a change of pace during the colder season with the new ProCarve prosthesis system. Johns' ambition was to turn what started as a hobby into his occupation. He dreamed of a career as a paratrooper in the military after studying sport science in Swansea. This dream came to an abrupt end after the then 19-year-old had his right leg amputated at the thigh in September 2000 after a motorbike accident in Thailand. During this difficult time his family fully supported him, giving him new hope. “Even though their dreams for my future seemed lost at the time, they never showed any weakness and were always very encouraging. An eventful biography The Briton received his first everyday prosthesis two months after his accident. About a year later, following rehabilitation he tried running again. But his prosthesis was not up to this challenge. "When I extended the leg more forcefully while sprinting, the prosthesis broke. This is something that happened every other week," he says, smiling as he describes his first sprinting attempts. His ambition for professional sports grew when John finally received his first sprinting prosthesis. He remembers

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one crucial experience in particular: "After the first time I trained, I had tears in my eyes because I had finally found what I had been seeking for four years – freedom and independence." Making connections in sports for the disabled was initially difficult for him as an ambitious athlete. He was the only sprinter with a transfemoral amputation in Great Britain at the time. "The structure of the Paralympic movement was not nearly as established in the UK as compared to Germany or the Netherlands," he explains. This is why he sought contact with the organisation Disability Sport Wales, which supported him and also gave him an opportunity to attend the Paralympic Games in Athens as a spectator. "They wanted to inspire me so I would compete at the Paralympic Games in Beijing." They succeeded. He entered his first competitive season that same year. After he won a bronze medal for Great Britain in the 100-metre sprint at the 2005 athletics world championships in Finland, he no longer had any doubts that the Paralympic Games in Beijing were a realistic possibility. John reached this decision at precisely the right time: "Following my studies, I was able to focus all my energy on training for the Paralympic Games. After all, the life of a professional athlete is a full-time job." Unforgettable moments He has a many memories from this exciting time which changed his life and that of his family as well. "To this day I can hear the voices of my sisters in the crowd when they sang the British national anthem in the Bird's Nest Olympic Stadium along with 90,000 other people," he recalls. The best experience was with his father after he won the bronze medal: "When we hugged each other, the last eight years passed before my mind's eye – with everything I had achieved throughout this time. My parents were overjoyed that their dreams had come true, that I had gathered my courage to face the future." From this moment on, John continued to look forward and strived to achieve new goals: "I had to decide whether to continue with sports for another four years or to concentrate on my career after sports." Since he had always been extremely interested in the structure and functions of the human body, he found a new challenge in obtaining his medical degree which he will complete in July of 2014. He also set new priorities in his private life. Today he lives happily with his wife and young son in the Welsh town of Caerphilly, close to Cardiff . In the meantime he remains true to his passion for sports. 2 /

The right equipment for recreational sports Surrounded by green meadows, forests and mystical castles, conditions in idyllic Caerphilly are ideal for recreational sports. "Whenever I can find time between my studies and family, I use every spare moment to ride my mountain bike in the fresh air or go jogging with Molly, my Border Collie," John says. His running prosthesis consisting of the 3S80 Sports Knee Joint and the 1E90 Sprinter Carbon Spring Foot, a reliable companion for him: "Even on rough forest trails, I no longer have to worry that my prosthesis may break." He mentions the integrated damping as another advantage – it makes a virtually natural and smooth movement pattern possible. Notwithstanding the unstable weather conditions in Great Britain, John has discovered a passion for winter sports. He first tried the slopes with his everyday prosthesis when he and his wife were on honeymoon in Switzerland. "It was difficult for me to get a feel for it when I stood on a snowboard or skis with one leg fully extended," is how he describes his first attempts. On trying the new ProCarve sports prosthesis system this gave John a feeling of safety. "When I put on the ProCarve in the morning, I had no idea what awaited me on the slopes. I ate a lot of snow at first," he says with a laugh. But all that changed once the prosthesis was correctly adjusted and he had developed a confident feel for the movement patterns: "With a bit of practice, even more challenging runs no longer posed a problem for me." Since days during winter holidays involve more than skiing and snowboarding, also being able to manage the system off the slopes was very important to him. "When riding the ski lift or gondola and during the après-ski, I can simply unlock the joint with a release belt so I can bend the knee," is how he describes the ease of use. One thing he is sure of: "With the right equipment, I am almost the same person I was before my amputation."

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For further information: Karsten Ley Director Corporate Communication Otto Bock HealthCare GmbH, Max-Näder-Str. 15, 37115 Duderstadt, Germany Phone: +49 (0) 5527 848-3036, Fax: +49 (0) 5527 848-3360 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: www.ottobock-group.com

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