A Sheffield athlete has received gold in the first world disability snooker championship in Thailand.

Gary Swift, 53, who was left wheelchair-bound after being electrocuted when he was 14, represented Great Britain in the championship in Nonthaburi , Thailand.

Mr Swift said: “No person from Sheffield has ever won the championship , and this is the first ever disability one which has made it even more special.”

He placed all his pressure on the deciding pink ball after taking a 2-1 lead.  

He said: “ When it came to the final I kept my focus , and had to be confident when I got chances , which I took well.”

Mr Swift was paralysed after retrieving his football at the side of an electricity power station in Hackenthorpe.

He said: “When I went to retrieve the ball and although I had been in hundreds of times, I got too close to the cables and although I didn’t touch a cable, I got too close. I had electricity jumps with 11000 volts which shot through my body, breaking a bone in my neck and leaving me paralyzed.”

In preparation for the tournament, Mr Swift trained six to seven hours at the Northern General Hospital and the Stephen Harrison Academy in Sheffield.

He said: “When it came closer to the championship I practised five to six times a week and received extra coaching. I would do drills , aiming to keep my cue’s straight.”

Mr Swift’s biggest inspiration is his coach Stephen Harrison.

He said : “When I was in hospital , Stephen’s dad was a big name in snooker for winning gold in  the 1988 Paralympics.

“Stephen set up academies for disabled snooker players in which he passes knowledge onto us.”

Mr Swift currently runs free coaching for other disabled snooker players.

He said: “it is always better to get some coaching from someone who is disabled because if a professional snooker player gives us coaching, they tend to teach as if we are able bodied.

“I enjoy getting other disabled people into sport.”

Mr Swift and his coach Stephen Harrison are attempting to get snooker back into the Paralympics, which dropped in 1988.

He said: “My biggest goal is to be in the 2030 Paralympics in Australia.”