Rotherham’s Team GB Tokyo Paralympic gold medallist Gavin Walker to be awarded Freedom of the Borough

The Team GB co-captain will be honoured at the next annual council meeting ‘in recognition of his outstanding service to sport as an Olympic Gold Medalist Paralympian and inspiration to others facing adversity through life changing events’.

Mr Walker, a former firefighter, helped lead the Great Britain wheelchair rugby team to victory, beating Team USA to win the gold medal in last year’s Tokyo Paralympics.

It was Team GB’s first Paralympic medal in the sport.

Mr Walker joined the fire service in 2003 but his life changed when he broke his neck, slipping on some wet decking in 2010.

During his rehab in the Sheffield Spinal Unit, Mr Walker met Sarah Leighton, a Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby classifier and physio, who introduced him to the sport.

In 2011 Mr Walker went along to his first training session at the Marauders club, and was selected for the national squad in 2013.

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Mr Walker made his Paralympic debut at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games, and is co-captain of the squad.

The nomination to admit Mr Walker as an Honorary Freeman of the Borough of Rotherham was submitted by Councillor Alan Atkin, with the support of ten other councillors.

The nomination is set to be approved at Rotherham Council’s next meeting on January 12.