
When John McFall, the world's first parastronaut, carried the Paralympic flag at the opening ceremony of the Games in Paris Wednesday, he knew he was sending a "powerful message".
The 43-year-old Briton had his right leg amputated below the knee after a motorcycle crash in Thailand when he was 19, before becoming a surgeon himself and winning a bronze medal in the 100 metres at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.