Disabled tennis ace Jamie Burdekin is jetting off to Beijing with Olympic glory in his eyes thanks to the generosity of an Oxford based law firm.
Withy King (incorporating Marshall & Galpin), which is one of the city’s oldest and most respected legal practices, has provided Jamie with a specially adapted wheelchair which he will use when he competes for Great Britain in the paralympic games in September.
Currently ranked fourth in the world in the doubles and tenth in the world in the singles Jamie, who used to be a Royal Marine, suffered a broken neck in a road traffic accident whilst travelling as a passenger. It was then that Richard Dawson, a partner in Withy King’s Personal Injury department, helped Jamie during his successful claim for very substantial compensation.
During his rehabilitation, Jamie discovered his special talent for tennis and huge amounts of determination and practice has seen him rise up the rankings to his current position following victory in the French Open Championship earlier in the year.
However, despite his unique talent, the British Olympic Committee isn’t able to supply him with the special wheelchair he needs, which is why Withy King has stepped in to make sure team GB are in with a chance of gold.
Richard Dawson said: “We’re delighted to have helped Jamie. His determination and courage is an inspiration to everyone and we hope he’ll go all the way in Beijing.”
Jamie added: “It’s through the generosity and good will of firms like Withy King that I’m able to attend the Olympics. It’s the pinnacle in any athlete’s career and I’m hoping I can return Richard’s generosity with a medal, preferably gold.”
The paralympic tennis starts on 8 Sept with the finals taking place on 13, 14 and 15 September.
