Initially, Owen fought to keep his leg, but after 18 months of excruciating pain, many failed operations, and long conversations with other amputees, Owen made the life-changing decision to have his leg amputated in August 2011. He hasn’t regretted that decision ever since.

“There were a lot of different opinions and I also spoke with people who decided to keep their leg as I was faced with a huge decision at the age of 19. But overall, the people that had been through with the amputation were just happier in themselves.”

“My first experience on a snowboard was horrible. The initial three days were hard. I spent most of the time on my face, constantly crashing”

Next, Owen threw himself into his rehabilitation and while he was at Headley Court, he saw a man wakeboarding and decided to have a go, too. He instantly loved it. But as the season turned colder, the sport wasn’t ideal. That’s when Owen had two brainwaves; the first was remembering watching snowboarding on the TV while he lay in his hospital bed and the second was military charity Blesma, The Limbless Veterans visiting him in hospital. Eager to give it a try, he contacted Blesma and it was a call that would be life-changing.

In 2012, Blesma offered Owen the chance to try snowboarding on a ski trip to Breckenridge in Colorado. “Blesma have supported me from that very first step on a snowboard to every step that followed over the next ten years.

“When the pandemic hit, it meant I couldn’t work my summer Airsoft job, which is how I fund the following season. So when the travel ban was lifted and the season restarted, Blesma stepped in to support me. Without the funding, I wouldn’t be able to afford the season, which means I may have only got to a few competitions but not all of them. I wouldn’t have been able to get the points to be able to get to the Games.”

“Going into the Beijing Games, I definitely feel calmer. I’m not as nervous, because I’ve experienced the Games before and I’ve felt what it’s like to not do as well as what I want to do. So, this time I think my aim is to enjoy it. Nine times out of ten if I’m enjoying myself, the results show for that. Hopefully, it works this time.”

Owen will be competing in the men’s SB-LL2 category in Banked Slalom and Boardercross at the 2022 Beijing Winter Paralympic Games, which start on Friday 4th March.

Blesma, The Limbless Veterans, is dedicated to assisting serving and ex-Service men and women who have suffered life-changing limb loss or the use of a limb, an eye or loss of sight in the honourable service of our country. To find out more information, make a donation or apply for membership visit their website here.