Whilst serving with the Worcestershire Sherwood Foresters Regiment in Helmand Province, Derek Derenalagi was injured by a roadside bomb when it the vehicle he was travelling in triggered the explosion. The bomb was stuffed full of ball bearings, nails and metal, enough to take the lives of everyone in the vehicle.
Hurled 30 yards, Derek landed on rocks with both of his legs blown off. Though he was pronounced dead at the scene, medical staff found a faint pulse so flew Derek back to the UK to spend two weeks in an induced coma. After being operated on, he was brought round with his life changed forever.
Derek vowed that his disability wouldn’t hold him back, so when the Ministry of Defence launched its Battle Back programme in 2008, supported by Help for Heroes, he was given the opportunity to use sport as a form of rehabilitation. As one of the first soldiers to benefit from this help, Derek turned to track and field sports to keep himself mentally and physically fit.
In 2009, Derek took part in a training exercise at the United States Olympic Training Center at Chula Vista, California. With an affinity for discus, he currently competes in the F57 Paralympic disability classification for athletes with spinal cord injuries and amputations. In 2012, at the IPC Athletics European Championships in the Netherlands, Derek secured a gold medal in the F57/58 discus.
In the final round, his winning throw, 41.41 metres, earned him 826 points in the final round of the competition - this was enough to beat the current world record holder, Alexey Ashapatov. At the 2012 Summer Paralympics, Derek was chosen to represent Great Britain as a member of the 49-member squad for athletics.
Derek is a vocal member of Help For Heroes. On several occasions, he has thanked the charity for their dedication to injured soldiers, quoted saying; “The support I received from Help for Heroes was massive, not only for me but for my family. Help for Heroes funded the legs that I used at the Paralympics and have made a lot of difference to my sport as an athlete.”
As an inspirational speaker, he frequently attends motivational workshops and conferences alike to share his incredible story. Exploring his experiences as a soldier and as an athlete, Derek leaves his audience in awe of his determination and mental resilience, traits which he has dedicated his speaking career to instilling in his audiences.
