Ready for Rio: Robert Oliver
In the run-up to the Rio Paralympic Games, ITV News speaks to four Paralympics GB athletes aiming for gold.
In the third of our Ready for Rio series, we profile para-canoeist Robert Oliver.
Video report by ITV News Reporter Sally Lockwood
Before 2011, Robert Oliver had never even stepped foot in a canoe.
Fast-forward five years, and the former space engineer is the number one para-canoeist in Britain, and a European Champion. However, Oliver's goal is to be the best in the world.
Having qualified for Rio 2016, where the para-canoe will make its Paralympic debut, Oliver is certainly well on the way to achieving his ambition.
Age: 28
Sport: Para-canoe
Condition: Leg amputee
Trains: Birmingham
Games history: Yet to compete
Rank: British number one (Men's K1 200m KL3)
Robert Oliver was born in 1988, and has been a keen sportsman from an early age.
He first took up weightlifting, before moving on to football. However, a leg injury during a match in 2008 would dramatically change the course of his sporting career.
Medical negligence and 17 subsequent failed operations meant that Oliver had to have his leg amputated at the age of 20 - "devastating" news that he found very difficult to accept.
"There was aggression and anger - it was a short-term mechanism for coping," he said. "I didn't want to accept it."
Instead of focusing on the negatives, Oliver decided to view his amputation as an opportunity - and channel his anger into developing his sporting prowess even further.
"When I started to walk, I saw more and more opportunity," he said.
In an effort to get back into sport and try something new, Oliver decided to take up para-canoeing for fun.
It wasn't long before he began to take the sport more seriously, with a view to eventually competing in the Paralympics.
Seven years after losing a leg, Oliver became 2015 European Champion in his class (K1 200m KL3).
He then went on to win silver at the 2015 World Championship, and earned the title of record-holder in the 200m K1 men's single kayak event.
With the Paralympic Games now just around the corner, Oliver is more than ready to show the world what he is capable of.
"I am back to the level I was previously - I want to see the absolute maximum I can achieve," he said.
"My aim and goal is to come back with a medal - I can achieve it, I can achieve gold," he added. "If I was on the podium in any position I'd be over the moon."
Oliver's training regime for the Games has been rigorous and disciplined.
He spends a lot of time in the gym doing spin classes and has found para-canoeing has provided physical benefits he could not get through rehab alone.
"This sport is coordinated and you need to be wholly strong," Oliver said.
"Now one side of my muscles is really strong and makes up for the lack of muscle everywhere else."
Oliver insists that if he could go back in time he would not change getting the amputation because the opportunities that have arisen as a result have been "worth it".
"Before I wouldn't chase dreams - now I do," he said. "Before I'd be a bit scared of failure, now I'm not.
"I almost want to say I'm fearless, because that is what I feel like I am. I will always push myself to the absolute limit."