Three years ago Zien Zhou couldn’t help but think that his disability was holding him back – now he’s left thinking the exact opposite.

The 16-year-old, who suffers from cerebral palsy diplegia, started wheelchair racing in November 2015 and has taken the sport by storm.

The Coventry Godiva Harriers Club prodigy has now raced in Switzerland at the para-athletics Grand Prix, finishing third in the 1,500m.

Zhou’s rise through the ranks has been inspirational and the teenager starlet admits there was one moment which changed his life forever.

“I started training in November 2015 and I then first competed in April 2016. At the time I was feeling a bit down about my disability – that it was going to hold me back,” said the Bablake School student.

“I was determined that this wasn’t just the end and also at the time the World Championships were going on in Doha and Great Britain were doing well – three of them were athletes from Coventry, which is a five-minute drive from me, so I thought that there must be something going on there.

“My proudest achievement has probably been going to Switzerland to compete in the para-athletics Grand Prix and finishing third in the 1500m. It was my first international event, so it was a real surprise.

“In the long-term I’m hoping to represent Great Britain at World Championships and Paralympics, and a similar sort of level, and maybe push on to get to the podium, but we’ll see. In the meantime I’ll keep training.”

Zhou was speaking at a SportsAid event in the House of Commons as part of the charity’s new three-year partnership with GVC Holdings, where he got to meet Paralympic champions Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and Danny Crates.

SportsAid, a charity which has helped fund the next generation of sporting stars since 1976 started supporting Zhou two months ago and the wheelchair racer admits he’s privileged to be backed by the charity.

The partnership will see GVC, the multi-national sports betting and gaming group behind brands such as Ladbrokes and Coral, supporting 50 of the country’s brightest sporting prospects annually through SportsAid.

The collaboration forms part of a multi-million pound investment by GVC into grassroots, community and health projects. 

He said: “It’s made the world of difference – the costs of my sport are very expensive, so having that financial boost takes a bit of pressure off my parents, who work very hard to make sure I do this sport.

“I race from 100m to 800m, but it’s probably the shortest and longest distances that I most favourite.

“I look up to Mo Farah – his determination always drives me on to want to achieve more. Racing-wise, Richard Chiassaro – he’s always very good at encouraging the youngsters, and he’s also helped me a lot with my career as well.”

GVC is proud to be championing the next generation of British athletes by providing them with financial support and personal development opportunities in partnership with SportsAid. Please visit https://gvc-plc.com to find out more about the Group.