A 14-YEAR-OLD North-East wheelchair racer is overjoyed after being selected as a future paralympic athlete for two sports.

Ollie Porter, from Hurworth, has not only been selected for the England Paralympic Talent Programme for wheelchair racing, but also for the England Player Pathway for wheelchair basketball.

He will now be attending workshops and training camps throughout the year, which will help him prepare for future competition and, he hopes, one day lead to a spot at the Paralympics with Team GB.

Ollie said: “I’m very happy to be chosen for this, and I think it’ll be very good for me, it’ll help me to become a better athlete. I’m looking forward to it.”

OIllie’s mum, Rebecca, said: “We’re really proud of Ollie. He’s worked so hard, and we’re very happy for him. He was just thrilled to be invited to join the Pathways. He’s really excited to go the workshops, to learn more, and to just keep improving.

“He always wants to train, he always wants to push himself, and it’s great that he’ll be able to do more of what he loves.”

Ollie, who has spina bifida, came to the attention of England Athletics in the 2022 season, during which he set multiple new personal best times over different distances, and took a close second place in the Under 17 age category at the London Mini Marathon. He previously won the event in the Under 14s category in 2021.

He uses a Bromakin racing wheelchair bought with the help of a donation from the Hurworth Rogers Charitable Trust, a fund established after local resident Brian Rogers left a large sum in his will to be used to support local causes.

Paul Moseley, Ollie’s coach at Leeds City Wheelchair Racing Club, said: “Ollie’s done extremely well. He’s now the fastest under-15 wheelchair racer in the country. He's on a great trajectory to certainly become one of the best in the country, and potentially the world.”