A Sussex Police employee and former British triathlon Paralympian has joined ParalympicsGB  in Paris as a team consultant.

Joe Townsend made his Paralympic debut in para-triathlon at the 2016 Rio Paralympics and has won European and world medals. He became a Commonwealth Champion in 2018.

Joe lost his legs in 2008 after stepping on an improvised explosive device while serving in the military. Following 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 2.4 miles of swimming, 112 miles of cycling and 26 miles of running.

Joe became the first wheelchair user to complete the Bolton UK Ironman course which is regarded as one of the toughest.

He joined Sussex Police in 2022 as a call handler answering 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 in the 2016 Paralympics, Joe focused his training for the Tokyo Games, which were postponed to 2021 due to the outbreak of Covid.

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.

Now he is in Paris in a support role for the athletes.

He said: "Having the opportunity to be back with ParalympicsGB is really special and I think it's an amazing environment to be in.

"You're surrounded by athletes that are world-class and they are truly prepared to go out and deliver their best performance.

"It's such an inspiring team to be around so I’m very excited to have the opportunity to go back and be in that environment again.”

Joe joined Sussex Police in 2022 as a call handler, answering 999 and 101 calls from those in need of assistance. Since then he has moved into a new role where he provides support to investigations.