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A Sussex Police employee and former British Paralympic triathlete has joined ParalympicsGB in Paris as a team consultant.
Joe Townsend made his Paralympic debut in para-triathlon at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games and has won European and World medals. He became Commonwealth champion in 2018.
Joe lost his legs in 2008 after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving in the military. After three years of rehabilitation, he decided to train for and complete an Ironman triathlon in 2011.
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The Ironman triathlon consists of a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride, and 26-mile run.
Joe became the first wheelchair user to complete the Bolton Ironman course in the UK, considered one of the toughest.
He joined Sussex Police in 2022 as a call handler responding to 999 and 101 calls (Image: Sussex Police)
This success led him to the Invictus Games in 2014, where he won four gold medals in the 100m, 200m, 400m and 1500m events.
After competing at the 2016 Paralympics, Joe focused his training on the Tokyo Games, which were postponed until 2021 due to the Covid outbreak.
Joe then contracted Covid himself and suffered long-term side effects, leading him to retire from ParalympicsGB after ten years of training and competing with them.
He is now in Paris in a support role for the athletes.
He said: “To have the opportunity to come back with ParalympicsGB is really special and I think it’s an incredible environment to be in.
“You’re surrounded by world-class athletes and they’re really ready to go out and deliver their best performance.
“It’s such an inspiring team to be around, so I’m really excited to have the opportunity to go back and be in that environment again.”
Joe joined Sussex Police in 2022 as a call handler, responding to 999 and 101 calls from those needing help. Since then he has taken on a new role supporting investigations.
