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A Crosby cyclist who suffered horrific brain injuries in a freak accident took on an Iron Man challenge - just TWO YEARS after he had to learn to walk and talk again.

James Thompson, 19, fell from the top of a heightened velodrome made of concrete in June 2014.

The dad-of-one had just sat his GCSE Geography exam and went cycling like he did most days, when the accident changed his life.

His aunt, Joanne Donohue, said: “It was just a normal day’s training for James when he went to training.

“But then he had this horrific accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.

“The force of the fall split his helmet into 17 pieces and he spent the next few months in intensive care.

“When he came around he was unable to speak, he didn’t recognise his family, he couldn’t hold his head up or walk or point.

“He ended up having to learn everything again. The outcome looked bleak.”

James couldn’t remember the six months before the accident and can’t remember four to six months after it.

He was paralysed for three months after the crash, but went back to school again after four months.

James, who has a nine-month old daughter, was determined to get back on his bike and started cycling around the hospital car park before he could even climb stairs again.

On Sunday he took on the gruelling Welsh Iron Man, which involved a 2.4 mile open water swim, 112 mile cycle and a marathon of 26.2 miles - just over two years after his accident.

He completed the challenge in 13 hours 47 minutes and has raised £2,400 for the Walton Centre, where he completed much of his recovery.

Joanne said the whole family are just incredibly proud of what James has achieved.

She said: “James was always so determined to get better and everyone is just over the moon for him doing the Iron Man.

“We were all so nervous when he got back on his bike, but he just went from strength to strength.

“It’s all been positive steps and we are just so proud of him.”

If you would like to donate to James’s fundraising campaign, go to: https://www.justgiving.com/waltonfund