PAUL Blake has been named in ParalympicsGB’s 49-strong athletics squad and will compete in the T36 400m and 800m.

It is the first time the Dorchester AC member has been selected for the Paralympics and he will be eager to make his mark, particularly on home soil.

The world 400m champion broke the T36 1500m world record at the Test Event at the Olympic Stadium in London in May and he is now hoping to replicate that type of form over the shorter distances.

Dorchester AC secretary Mike Furse told Echosport: “Paul has been running since he was 18 and as soon as he started you could see it was for him.

“He started being coached by Nick Nicholson but unfortunately he sadly died before seeing a lot of what Paul has done come to fruition.”

Last month, Blake competed in the IPC Athletics European Championships in Stadskanall in the Netherlands where he took bronze in the 800m and silver in the 400m, and hopes are high the 22-year-old can improve on those performances on the world’s biggest stage next month.

Furse added: “The Russians have produced a couple of athletes that Paul is still trying to get to grips with and I am sure he will.

“We as a club are extraordinarily proud of him. He is a very dedicated athlete that deserves all the success he has had and we are all very much looking forward to his performances in the Paralympics in his quest for gold.”

The T36 1500m for athletes with Cerebral Palsy has not been included on the Paralympics schedule.