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The name of the world's first para-astronaut has become known, he became the Paralympic sprinter John McFall, reports the European Space Agency.
John McFall from the UK has joined a new squad of 17 people who will be trained for future space flights.
“It was quite a dizzying experience, considering that as an amputee, I never thought I could become an astronaut, so the excitement was huge”, the future astronaut told reporters in an interview.
Photo: Julien Behal — PA Images/Getty Images
McFall is 40 years old, lost his right leg above the knee at 19 after a serious motorcycle accident. After prosthetics, he took up sports, entered the British Paralympic team and competed for his country in the 100 meters at the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, showing a time of 13,08 seconds and bringing a bronze medal to his team.
The European Space Society in 2021 announced a competition for the position of an astronaut with disabilities. A total of 257 applications were received, John McFall was selected based on the results of psychological, cognitive and physical tests