Paralympian turned future astronaut ‘proud, privileged’ after role in 2024 Games' opening

British Paralympian John McFall said on Thursday that he was “privileged” to have taken part in the 2024 Paralympic Games’ opening ceremony after becoming the first person with a physical disability to be effectively cleared for future missions by the European Space Agency. The 43-year-old surgeon, who won a 100-meters bronze medal in the 2008 Beijing Games, carried the Paralympic flag during celebrations for the opening ceremony in Paris on Wednesday night. “I'm really proud and really privileged to continue to play my part in this Paralympic movement,” McFall said in an interview. He hailed the role that sports and his participation in the Paralympic Games had played in his life. McFall was visiting Thailand at the age of 19 when a motorcycle accident led to the amputation of his right leg above the knee and ended his hopes of a career in the army. Now he is moving on to his next big challenge — three years ago a colleague sent him an advert for would-be astronauts, including someone to take part in a European study on whether a person with a physical disability could become a full crew member on the International Space Station. Last month, McFall was declared on track to becoming the world's first "parastronaut" after passing months of rigorous testing on his ability to carry out emergency procedures in orbit and the way he would move and stabilize himself in microgravity. Studies included the impact on bone density and the way fluid shifts around the body in microgravity, potentially affecting the fit of the prosthesis that he must continue to wear on the ISS. He has yet to be guaranteed a specific flight but ESA said in July that the study, which is due to be completed later this year, had demonstrated that it would be technically feasible for an astronaut with a physical disability to travel to space. In the meantime, McFall is looking forwards to attending the Games in Paris with his family. “It will be the first time my kids have had the opportunity to experience either a Paralympic or Olympic Games. So we're going to take them around Paris, show them some of the games and some of Paris,” he said. For more ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmh2QdQIUTg8drWJzhiGn29W For more latest news and analysis from ABS-CBN News videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmirlKxlCckfVQAgc0Xg3uZ4 For more latest Entertainment News videos, click the link below: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgyY1WylJUmjT9hEOBQXAoI1gxbcvG87r Subscribe to the ABS-CBN News channel! - http://bit.ly/TheABSCBNNews Watch the full episodes of TV Patrol on iWantTFC: http://bit.ly/TVPatrol-iWantTFC Visit our website at http://news.abs-cbn.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/abscbnNEWS Twitter: https://twitter.com/abscbnnews #LatestNews #ViralNews #TrendingNews