McFall is hoping to win a Paralympic medal in Beijing

Britain's John McFall is hoping to make his Paralympic debut in Beijing - and he plans to come away with a medal.

The 26-year-old, who is based in Cardiff and coached by Darrell Maynard, lost his right leg below the knee after a motorbike accident in Thailand almost eight years ago.

After his accident, he was keen to stay involved in sport and decided to get involved in sprinting.

He made his international debut in 2005 at the IPC European Championships in Finland, winning a bronze medal, and will be going for gold in the T42 100m in Beijing.

Here he gives BBC Sport some of his tips for the top.

When I lost my leg in 2000, all I wanted to do was run again. I played hockey to divisional standard and wanted to join the army when I was younger, so I've always been very active and sporty. The sprints were the disciplines available if I wanted to run competitively.

The first time I used it, I felt like I was bouncing around the track. It all felt so normal and natural. I remember driving home and bursting into tears because the freedom of running was possible once again. It was overwhelming.

In June 2004, six months after I had first tried out the new sprinting leg, I competed in Belgium and won gold in 13.98 seconds.

Try to focus on the goals you are setting out to achieve. My sole goal is to get on to the podium in Beijing this year.

So when I am doing circuits and sit-ups and it hurts like hell - I just think "It's all for Beijing". It gets you through it.

When I'm not training or hopping on a plane to travel to my next athletics meet, I try to relax by listening to music, riding my Vespa motorbike or by playing my guitar.

I'll definitely be packing the guitar if I get selected for Beijing. There can be a lot of downtime when you're away training so it's a good way to relax.

I don't want to sound like a boy scout but it is really important to be prepared for competition. I want to minimise the number of first experiences by the time I get to Beijing.

Even things that sound simple - such as the walk down the tunnel from the training track to the call room - can throw you if you've not done it before. It's important to rehearse so you have some idea of what to expect on the day.

When I'm training in the gym, I always make sure I've got some good tunes with me - I'm sticking the Foo Fighters' "But Honestly" on a lot at the moment as it helps to psyche me up and it livens up the gym a bit!

I've got to watch my strength and conditioning coach Steve Fudge though. If I'm not careful, he'll swap the iPods over and put Meatloaf on!

Doing the little things - like the small core exercises - is really important. It's no good thinking that you can just put them off for another day.

Take walking drills for example - yes, they can be tiresome at times but you need to do them. Great athletes tend to be perfectionists!

Planning a block of training and adhering to it is vital. You need to put sessions together to make a good week. Putting good weeks together makes for a good block. And good blocks equal a good year!

You can't just have a six-week burst of fantastic training and then follow it up with six weeks of bad! There is no quick fix for being a good athlete. It takes time, patience and commitment.

"Always go the extra mile - life will reward you" - that's my favourite quote. My Dad gave me a big atlas the first Christmas after I lost my leg and he had written that inside the cover. It's definitely true!