Student Thomas Green is to represent Great Britain at the IPC World Athletics Championships 2011 in New Zealand.

Thomas is a F32 Club Thrower and is already ranked in the World F32 Top 10 — despite only taking up the sport in 2005. Clubs — similar to a weighted baseball bat — are designed for those who are unable to throw a javelin.

He came an impressive fourth in the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester in March, losing out only to the Beijing gold, silver and bronze medallists.

And with a personal best of 28.88 metres set this summer, Thomas is confident of a strong performance in the championships in Christchurch, which run from 21 to 30 January.

He said: “It was a huge shock when I got the call from my performance manager to confi rm my selection. I’ve thrown for Great Britain three times now, and the thrill of being selected doesn’t diminish, but being selected for a major championship is something else. I am relishing the chance to get experience on such a stage.”

Thomas, who has cerebral palsy, is making good use of the University’s indoor sports facilities, with his dad and coach, Ken.

“The University has been very supportive of me and my athletics commitments. The staff at the Sports Centre are very keen to assist me in any way they can, and I’ll no doubt take advantage of the Any-Buddy Scheme as I continue training. This is all helped by the University’s very positive attitude towards disabled sport.”

Sports Disability Officer Hannah Webber said: “Thomas is an outstanding disabled athlete and definitely a star of the future. As a University we are proud to be supporting him through the Sports Bursary Scheme and by facilitating some of his training.

“As well as adapting to life away from home, Thomas has started to really develop and flourish as an athlete and a student, achieving personal bests on the field and in the ‘classroom’. He is a great sporting ambassador for the University and we wish him luck in his first world championships. Go Thomas!”

Thomas, who’s in his second year of a Mathematics degree, will be writing a blog in the run-up to the championships. Visit http://tiny.cc/33qrz.