A Soham soldier who lost his leg after being hit by an 11-ton tank will be going for gold at the Invictus Games after a team effort by clinicians and engineers to make an advanced new limb.

Ely Standard: Wayne, whose left leg was amputated below the knee after he was injured in training, gave a speech about how The Poppy Factory helped him find a new vocation as a gardener. Photo: Alex Griffiths.Wayne, whose left leg was amputated below the knee after he was injured in training, gave a speech about how The Poppy Factory helped him find a new vocation as a gardener. Photo: Alex Griffiths. (Image: Alex Griffiths)

Wayne Harrold, 48, had his leg crushed by a Spartan-tracked reconnaissance vehicle during an exercise on Salisbury Plain in 2001.

Cambridge University Hospital (CUH) NHS Foundation Trust, working in partnership with the Prosthetic and Orthotics provider Opcare, has now designed a custom-made prosthetic for Wayne at this month’s Invictus Games.

Wayne will wear the lightweight prosthetic in the cycling time trial at the multi-sport event taking place in Sydney from October 20 to October 27.

The limb is made out of carbon fibre laminate along with an aluminium custom-made component which, following various prototypes, was judged to be best for the patient while considering weight, durability, function and aesthetics.

Ely Standard: HRH The Duchess of Cornwall hosts a reception in her home at Clarence House for the Poppy Factory supporters, volunteers, veterans and staff. Photo: Ian JonesHRH The Duchess of Cornwall hosts a reception in her home at Clarence House for the Poppy Factory supporters, volunteers, veterans and staff. Photo: Ian Jones (Image: Ian Jones)

Eilidh Hannah, a prosthetist at CUH, enlisted the specialist expertise of the hospital’s clinical engineering innovation team as she felt a more sophisticated, and risk assessed, prosthetic leg would help Wayne, who won silver last year, to go faster on his bike.

The limb has been in part funded by the Veterans Prosthetics Funding Panel.

A final review of Wayne using the limb took place last week in the Gait Lab at CUH and he flew to Australia with the team on Monday.

Wayne began cycling as a way of keeping fit and has upped his training in advance of the games - in which he will compete as part of 72-strong Britain team in peak condition.

“I feel a lot stronger and fitter than I did in Toronto last year and the design of this prosthetic limb is helping me cycle harder and faster,” said Wayne, who will also be competing in the sailing.

“I am hugely appreciative of Eilidh and the Clinical Engineering Innovation team, in particular Maighread Ireland and Daniel Marsden, for helping to design this prosthetic limb which will hopefully help me bring back gold for Britain, Cambridgeshire and the NHS.”

Despite his amputation, Wayne stayed in the army for another ten years, earning promotions in that time.

For the past six years he has worked for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, based at Cambridge City Cemetery.