A cyclist who was “heartbroken” after a car hit him just a week before he was slated to compete in the Paralympic Games has come out on top.
Jaco van Gass won gold for the United Kingdom in the men’s 3,000-meter individual pursuit on Friday, CNN reports.
“I’m overwhelmed, delighted,” van Gass said in a statement shared on Instagram. His joy was evident in photos taken directly after his win, including one in which he excitedly tosses a small plush toy of the Paralympics mascot, the phryge, in the air.
Van Gass, who was born in South Africa, was serving in the British Armed Forces in Afghanistan in 2009 when he was struck by a rocket-propelled grenade. He was left with severe injuries, including punctured organs, and lost his left arm below the elbow.
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