Archer Nathan Macqueen hopes that a first Paralympic gold medal will get him to the front of the Disneyland

By Megan Armitage in Paris

Former Glasgow Warriors prodigy Nathan Macqueen believes that he is back to his best ahead of a third Paralympic Games in Paris.

The 33-year-old from Polbeth was a promising rugby player in his youth, playing for Warriors' U18 side before a motorbike accident on his way to work left him paralysed from the waist down.

He did not take to wheelchair rugby, Macqueen instead reverted back to his childhood sport of archery during recovery and has not looked back since.

But, after a recent illness saw the archer drop from world number one to number four, Macqueen is back on top form as he targets a maiden Paralympic medal in Paris.

"I've been shooting pretty well," he said. "I ended up with a chest infection recently which set me back a wee bit but I'm back to shooting my best again.

"Things started to ramp up about a month ago and I'm just trying to hold the level.

"To be back at a Games is amazing, I never thought I would make one Games never mind my third.

"I'm hoping I can thrive with crowds back; I watched the archery at the Olympics, and it looked like a big old crowd. It will be the biggest crowd I've ever shot in front of so I'm relishing it but hoping I don't get too nervy or excited.

"I'm going to just try and ignore everybody, not look up and focus on me and the target.

"Music always calms me down so when I'm in the cool room that's what I'll be doing, listening to Gerry Cinnamon."

Macqueen had a belter of a 2023, taking European Championship and European Cup gold alongside world silver, results that saw him rocket to the top of the world standings.

But they were also results that Macqueen himself never dreamed could be possible after an accident at 18 years old.

"I was working during the recession and the company I was with didn't have any work one week so my dad let me come and work with him," he said.

"I was just driving there one day, and I crashed my motorbike.

"I ended up breaking my back in three places, broke both my legs, all my ribs, internal bleeding and two punctured lungs so I was a mess.

"After six months in hospital recovering, I really missed playing sport and doing sport, but I didn't think that I'd be able to do anything sporting again."

Macqueen now hopes that his journey from the hospital bed to three Paralympic Games can help inspire other people with disabilities to give sport a try.

"If someone is feeling down about having a spinal cord injury or losing a leg, if I can inspire them to give sport a try and find a good outlet then that's as good as a gold medal in my eyes," he added.

"When I had my accident, I said to my mum that I wanted to help people, and I was still in hospital then and didn't know what was wrong.

"This is my way of doing that."

Despite the gold medal for inspiration already hanging around his neck, Macqueen will go return to the Paralympic range in Paris hoping to secure some physical silverware.

And after a convincing three years on the top of the international circuit, the archer is ready to seal his place both on the podium and at the front of the queue to Disneyland.

"My wife and son are coming out to support me so we're going to go to Disney after I've finished competing," he said.

"And if I have a medal with me, hopefully I can get to the front of the queues."

Aldi are proud Official Partners of Team GB & ParalympicsGB, supporting all athletes through to Paris 2024.