Giving glory to God at the Paralympics: William Stedman

For para-athlete William Stedman, this year's Paralympics was a 'rollercoaster' - but he finished as he started: giving praise to God.

Stedman entered three separate events. Suffering disappointment in the Men’s Long Jump T36, just 16 hours later he sprinted to silver in the Men’s 400m T36 - setting a national record of 52.92m.

A couple of days before his race, he said on Instagram: ‘Thinking about all the training coming together for just a few moments can be such a mix of nerves and excitement.

'My faith is really important to me, and a verse that means a lot to me is Philippians 4:6-7: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” No matter what, through success or failure, I know God is in control, and I have the promise of his peace.’

William, who competed in his first Paralympics in Rio age 16, has cerebral palsy. Reflecting on his condition to Authentic Magazine, he commented, 'Cerebral palsy is something I’ve had since I was born, and even though it’s made some things harder, I’ve been really blessed in that I’ve never felt limited by it. And God has used my cerebral palsy to open up opportunities that I wouldn’t have had if I had not been born with it.'