Rob paddles his way to the GB selection regatta

Blatchford is delighted to support paracanoe athlete Rob Oliver as he prepares for the European Team Selection Regatta on 11^th April.  If successful, Rob will go on to represent Team GB at the European Championships in the Czech Republic at the end of April.

In 2008, at the age of 20, keen sportsman Rob broke his leg playing football. Nine months and 17 operations later, Rob had his lower leg amputated. During his rehab he discovered kayaking and hasn’t looked back; committing himself to being the very best and in order to do so, Rob also needs the best prosthesis.

As a professional athlete Rob is very demanding of his prosthesis and found that his heel would lift off the ground during strength training causing unwanted compensatory movements.

Following an assessment at Blatchford Clinic, Rob decided to try an echelonVT foot which uniquely features 4 independent degrees of freedom and a hydraulic ankle which self-aligns for optimal balance and good postural symmetry.

Rob commented:

“The echelonVT foot allows me to get more out of my strength training by keeping me in better alignment, especially on dead lifts. The smooth, natural movement feels great and much more like a human foot than anything else I’ve tried before.”

Rob’s prosthetist, Mark Ledger, commented:

“It’s been a pleasure to work with Rob; he demands much more from his prosthesis than most amputees and is really putting his prosthesis through its paces. We’ll continue to support Rob as he strives to realise his hopes and ambitions to represent Great Britain at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio.”