Paralympic heroes show the resilience Britain sorely needs

THE bestselling author Arthur C Clarke wrote that "the only way to define your limits is by going beyond them".

- Leo McKinstry

That truth is about to be revealed in a remarkable display of human endeavour at its most noble and inspirational by a special group of men and women who refuse to be bound by corporeal limitations.

Once a minor adjunct of the Olympic Paralympics Games, the which open in Paris on Wednesday - have grown into a sporting extravaganza, capturing the imagination of the public not only through the increasingly high standards of competition but through uplifting individual stories of dedication by disabled athletes in the face of extraordinary odds.

These Games are far more than just another contest. They provide vital lessons for life in how unquenchable courage can overcome adversity. The recordbreaking blind American sprinter David Brown after competing successfully in the 2012 London Games, said: "It gave me the confidence that I can make anything happen as long as I put my mind to it."

AS AN overweight couch potato whose main form of exercise is reaching for the TV remote control, I am in awe of the skills, power and grace of the competitors. I will find myself reduced to tears by the recognition of what these heroes have been through to reach the top, as they defy both conventional wisdom and the apparent constraints of their disabilities.