Early Years and Education
John McFall was born on 25 April 1981 in Frimley, Surrey, in England. Between 1994 and 1997 he attended school at Millfield in Street, Somerset, where as a teenager he was a runner and hockey player. In August 2000 while on a gap-year trip to Ko Samui, Thailand, after his A-levels, he was involved in a serious motorcycle accident. While riding a moped, he went round a corner too quickly and skidded. He put out his leg to stop the motorcycle from falling over, and smashed his knee. The motorcycle then fell on him, resulting in the chain severing major blood vessels in his leg. He was flown to a hospital in Bangkok, but as he had damaged his lower right leg too severely, it had to be amputated above the knee after three days. Upon returning to the UK, he spent about seven weeks undergoing rehabilitation at Queen Mary's Hospital in Roehampton, London.
McFall spent the next year at home, during which he took up mountain biking and climbing and worked as a fitness instructor at his local leisure centre. He also started running in the summer of 2003 as soon as he had his prosthesis fitted: "I love that sound of air rushing past your ears and the freedom of it. I missed that and I wanted to get that back." After taking up his place at Swansea University to pursue a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) in sport and exercise science, he practised on the university's running track and also trained with a local running club, the Swansea Harriers Athletic Club. However, he found running difficult and uncomfortable as his prosthesis was not designed for the purpose, and frequently got damaged. Upon making inquiries at the Federation of Disability Sport Wales (FDSW), he was introduced to carbon-fibre running "blades". He graduated from university with an upper second-class honours degree in summer 2004, taking part in his first race at the Disability Sports Events (DSE) Championships in the UK the same year.
In September 2004 McFall embarked on postgraduate studies in sport and exercise science at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC), subsequently graduating with a Master of Science (M.Sc.). He took pre-medical examinations in 2008, and plans to retire from athletics after his 2009 season to train as a doctor.
Read more about this topic: John Mc Fall (athlete)
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