Viv Thomas Attleborough athlete Danny Nobbs has been named in the British team for the Beijing Paralympic Games.The 28-year-old, who works at Norwich Union, will compete in the wheelchair shot put event - and sees it as a stepping stone to his long-term goal of winning gold at London 2012.

Viv Thomas

Attleborough athlete Danny Nobbs has been named in the British team for the Beijing Paralympic Games.

The 28-year-old, who works at Norwich Union, will compete in the wheelchair shot put event - and sees it as a stepping stone to his long-term goal of winning gold at London 2012.

Danny said: “It's a real honour. I'm over the moon, really excited. I can't wait to just get out there now. It's obviously going to be a world-class field.

!I've spoken to other people who have been to the Paralympics and they said it's like nothing else. I'm really, really looking forward to it.

“My target is to reach the final, a top-eight finish which would be brilliant, a real achievement,” he said, adding that it would also give him invaluable experience for his ultimate goal: “My long-term aim is London 2012, to win the gold there.”

He knows he has to remain focused on training in the lead-up to the Games, flying out on August 30 to a holding camp in Macaé before travelling to Beijing for his event on September 16.

He was paralysed from the chest down after a motorbike accident in 1996. Always sporty - he had trials with Norwich City Football Club as a teenager - he has since channelled his efforts into developing phenomenal upper-body strength which enabled him to launch the shot out to a British record distance of 9.14m earlier this year.

“I have had a lot of people support me along the way. It's nice for them to see - it's some reward for the time they have given me.”

He was particularly keen to acknowledge how supportive Norwich Union, where he works as a sponsorship consultant, had been. “They have been really good and supported me throughout my time in the sport,” he said.

When the British Paralympics team was announced UK Athletics Director of Disability, Tim Jones, commented: “We are pleased to be able to nominate such a strong team for Beijing, which is a real blend of both youth and experience.

“As we look beyond Beijing, the ability to nurture athletes who will be able to perform in London is of paramount importance. It will provide them with a fantastic learning experience. UK Athletics set some tough qualifying standards to ensure a high-quality team, and it is testament to the determination and talent of our athletes that these were achieved and exceeded.”