PARALYMPIAN Dean Miller’s Rio dreams have been shattered following a serious leg injury.

The 27-year-old Great Britain athlete believed he was in with a chance of a podium place on the biggest athletics stage of 2016, but a setback while training back at home in Barrow on Thorncliffe has seen his hopes end in heartache.

Miller had been preparing for last year’s World Championships in Doha when he snapped the patella tendon in his left knee. Surgery followed, but the Barrow and Furness Striders AC member has not done any serious running since the operation.

“It is going to be difficult to watch,” said Miller ahead of the Games in September. “I am probably not going to watch too much of it to be honest, but it is one of those things.

“With regards to this year and Rio, unfortunately – and it has been quite hard to come to terms with – it is just not going to be possible really. It has been a difficult time, but I guess you have just got to bounce back from it.”

Hopes were high the Birmingham-based middle-distance runner, who has cerebral palsy, would make huge strides forward after a tremendous performance in the 2012 London Games, where he produced a valiant effort in the T37 class 1,500m, finishing seventh in a race won by Ireland’s Michael McKillop.

He added: “This has been such a blow to miss the Paralympic Games, which is the biggest thing I could do in my sport.

“I went to London and I thought it was fantastic, but I genuinely thought I had a real shot of being on the podium this year, when things were going so well last year.

“Physically it is the biggest issue because my knee and my quad are in such a bad way at the moment, but it is the mental side of things as well.”

Miller had been on the way back from a stress fracture when he picked up the injury, saying: “I snapped my patella tendon in my left knee which is actually my CP knee as well.

“British Athletics have been very good to me, I probably saw the best knee specialist in the country in terms of sport.

“My tendon was connected back, I was in my wheelchair for a little bit, I was back in Barrow for about three months.

“I moved back to Birmingham and I am walking what is normal for me again and I am up to a little bit of light jogging like shuffle jogging, but I am mainly back in the gym in the weights room because I lost quite a lot of muscle on my left leg, with it being casted up and not walking for so long.

“My leg has disintegrated a little bit so I am just trying to build it back up, especially with it being my CP side. I am rehabbing as much as possible.

“In the initial period it was difficult because my mindset wasn’t really there as I wasn’t sure what I was aiming for.

“But luckily I have got a good support network around me and I am slowly getting back to it. Life is almost back to normal now apart from obviously I am not training as much as what I was but I am keeping busy.”

Miller has found it tough in an environment which he shares with other athletes, who are preparing for the upcoming Games.

“This was going to be my main games, this is obviously been really hard to take,” he added. “I don’t know what the future holds, I haven’t completely closed the door on it. I am still fully funded and British Athletics have been amazing with me because of the seriousness of the injury.

“I am probably the only athlete in the world that the injury has happened to that also has CP, so it is a little bit unknown to them as well. I had to miss the World Championships last year so that was a bit of a blow as well.

“At the moment I am just trying to chill this year, just trying to get my body back working and then can reassess around Christmas-time. I am keeping myself busy, I am doing a little bit of coaching. I am working in school as a sports coordinator.”

Miller, who has been involved in the sport since childhood, added: “It has been a really frustrating and down period but I am doing as much as I can. I am feeling reasonably positive about it, but this summer is obviously going to be really difficult to watch.

“I am not completely closing the door, I haven’t retired, but I am just going to chill out and see what happens.

“There is a World Championships next year so London 2017 is going to be the first time where the IAAF able bodied world championships are held as well at the Paralympic World Championships.

“There is an opportunity for a home games there and that’s 12 months away so that almost keeps a little bit of desire there, but again it is how my body reacts.

“There is a big difference going out onto a easy run for a few miles to running 60 or 70 miles a week, the type of training I would need to do to get back to the same level.

“I am still in contact with my coach, I am still trying to rehab I am doing a reasonable amount, but with regards to competitive things it’s trial and error really.

“It has been a really rough year, it has been hard on my parents, it’s been hard on my coach, it’s been hard on me.

“I almost want to get rid of last year and get free this year because this summer is going to be particularly rough watching it all.”