British Paralympic cycling star Jody Cundy has unveiled the custom prosthetic leg he’s hoping will power him to a sixth gold medal in London.
The 33-year-old, who was born with a deformed foot which was amputated when he was just three, has collaborated with Össur, the Icelandic company who produced the ‘blades’ for South African superstar Oscar Pistorious.
It features a special patriotic design with the Union Jack in the colour scheme of the Stella McCartney-designed athlete kit. It’s also emblazoned with the names of all the people who’ve helped him throughout his stellar career, plus a medal board of the ten he’s picked up at Paralympics and world championships down the years.
“It’s a whole new leg for London,” said Cundy. “It’s a refinement of the leg I had in Beijing with new positioning and alignment and refined aerodynamics. I think the leg looks stunning and it is a thank you to everyone who has helped me on my journey to the Games, right from when I started competing up until now.
“I love customising my leg. With so many restrictions on kit and other pieces of equipment it’s nice to have a bit of creative freedom and stand out from the crowd.”
Richard Hirons, lead prosthetist of Össur, added: “It happens to be a thing of beauty and I’m very satisfied with the result. “We’ve been very pleased at Össur to work with Jody and his coaching and support team on this collaborative project.
"We know that Jody will do his best when he’s called to the line, as he always does. In prosthetic terms we’ve been granted the opportunity to pay attention to details that often we’re not able to do. But whatever our contribution, it is Jody who has put in the hours and the effort that is the real headline. And for that, he has our support, admiration and best wishes.”
