Nic Beveridge finished seventh at Tokyo Paralympic Games in PTWC event

Nic Beveridge woke up one morning in 2003 to discover he was paralysed from the chest down. Now he is a two-time Paralympic athlete.

TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 29: Nic Beveridge of Team Australia prepares for the swim start of the men's PTWC Triathlon on day 5 of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games at Odaiba Marine Park on August 29, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Picture: Alex Pantling/Getty Images

Nic Beveridge was just 17 years old when he woke up one morning in 2003 and discovered he could not walk anymore.

He was diagnosed with transverse myelitis, a rare neurological condition that attacks the spinal cord.

As a result, Beveridge was paralysed from the chest down, with the T4 spinal cord affected by the neurological condition.

The Mackay-raised athlete is now a two-time Paralympian, having converted from being a dominant presence on the cross-country track and in the swimming pool, to becoming a force in the Para-triathlon.

Nic Beveridge of Australia finished seventh in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games. Picture: Michael Dodge

A short stay in hospital in 2012 convinced the athlete to try his hand in Paralympic sport, with Beveridge “falling in love” with the competitions on offer.

Beveridge was pipped at the line in Tokyo on Sunday morning, finishing seventh in the PTWC event after spending a large portion of the race in the top five.

His swimming and running legs were fourth of all athletes, but his cycling sector let him down, with Beveridge recording the slowest time on the bike.

His performance in Tokyo bettered his previous Paralympic efforts from Rio, with his debut netting a nine-placed finish in 2016.

Beveridge won a silver medal in the PTWC event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast.