Winner Martine Wright says: ‘Let’s inspire a nation’ - Entertainments

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Winner Martine Wright says: ‘Let’s inspire a nation’

Programme Name: BBC Sports Personality of the Year - TX: n/a - Episode: n/a (No. Live Show) - Embargoed for publication until: n/a - Picture Shows: MARTINE WRIGHT winner Helen Rollason Award - (C) BBC - Photographer: Guy Levy

Published on 17/12/2012 17:22

The Paralympic star from Tring dedicated her award at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year show to the 52 people who lost their lives in the 7/7 London bombings.

Martine, from Beaconsfield Road, has been on an incredible journey since she lost both of her legs as a result of the terrorist attack back in 2005.

The mum-of-one was one of the most seriously injured casualties.

She turned her life around by taking up sitting volleyball and succeeding in being picked for the British women’s team to compete in this year’s Paralympic games.

On Sunday Martine ended that journey by walking on to the stage at London’s ExCel with the aid of a stick to collect the Helen Rollason Award for outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.

She said: “I haven’t made this journey on my own. There are a lot of people behind me, supporting me. I would like to accept this award on behalf of them.

“That’s my husband Nick, my friends, Liz for saving my life that day, for all the emergency services and medical staff - they did so much - and obviously I will never forget the 52 people who sadly lost their lives. This is for them as well.”

Martine has always said that she believes that she was on the tube train for a reason when it was blown up by a suicide bomber.

She has since made a remarkable recovery, had a baby, got married and learned to fly a plane.

Her experience was used as an inspirational story of courage and determination leading up to the Games, and her resilience defined just what the Paralympics was all about.

She accepted her award in front of millions of television viewers and said: “This is the time we need to get together and remember the summer but also to build on this legacy that we are all talking about and go ahead and inspire a nation.”

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Winner Martine Wright says: ‘Let’s inspire a nation’

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