AN INSPIRATIONAL Radcliffe man who was told he would never be able to walk has aced his first triathlon.

Liam Crompton was diagnosed with cerebral palsy aged eight months, but defied the odds and doctors predictions to walk by 18 months.

The condition, which is a type of movement disorder, has left him right hemiplegic, meaning he cannot use his right arm.

However this has not stopped the superhuman 28-year-old who has been an avid athlete since childhood.

His mum Janet, aged 55. from Tottington, said: “Liam just got up one night and started walking in the bedroom.

"We were gob smacked because they said he would never walk, and from then on he wanted to do everything a normal child would.

"At three-years-old we taught him to ride a bike and a motor bike and he also did swimming at school. For someone who was told they wouldn’t be able to walk he has gone from strength to strength."

Despite having no muscle tone in his right leg Liam has trained to be able to run over 10km as well as swim, cycle and mountain bike, pounding the streets and going up hill and down dale.

His hemiplegia means he rides the bike solely left handed using only one brake, and often has no hands on the handle bars to change gears, drink water or eat energy gels.

In November Liam decide he wanted to give triathlon a go and began training for the recent Rossendale Triathlon.

He said: "I first got the triathlon bug when I watched ironman UK and said to myself I can do this, I had a long think about it and a few words with a friend of mine who does ironman, Brett Norris and he said I've got it in me so the journey of making my dream come reality started. I train six days a week, twice a day with a average of 13 hours of training a week."

During the gruelling event Liam first swam 400 metres at Marl Pitts Leisure Centre, before hopping straight on his bike to pedal 21km over the Pennines and finishing with a 5km run over trails and roads.

Liam said: "On the day of the event I felt calm, composed and just concentrated on what Brett has taught me in training. During the event I felt stronger than ever and faster than ever which proved as I broke most of my personal records."

Janet said that she and his father were both very proud of Liam, adding: “The bike ride is all up really really steep hills and he was he was overtaking people as well. He was really good. He did it in a really good time especially for someone with only one hand. To do a triathlon as a disabled person is a big achievement I think.”

Liam now has plans to do more runs and triathlons of increasing difficulty and distance with the aim of doing an Iron Man in the near future.

He said: "I have just started training again for Manchester Half Marathon in October 2018 and my next triathlon which is the Olympic distance, consisting of 1.5k open water swim, 40k bike ride and a 10k run. Bring it on I say."

Janet added: “Liam has got the triathlon bug now. The next thing for him is open water swimming, then building himself up from 10km runs to half marathons and marathons before doing an Iron Man in the next couple of years — which will be a big achievement if he does that.”