A WORCESTER transplantee came away with two gold medals and helped the Birmingham squad to top spot at this year’s British Transplant Games.

The games at the Don Valley Stadium in Sheffield, saw Steve Nyland, of Rushwick, retain his titles in both the 5km time trial and 10km road race cycling events in a Mo Farah-style ‘double double’.

The bone marrow transplantee said: “I won the 5km time trial by one second to the silver competitor and the third placed cyclist came in four seconds behind me, so all in all a very competitive event with a fantastic level of athletes.

“There were 68 cyclists in total in the event. There were 40 riders in the mass start 10km road race, but a small group including myself went off the front and started to pull away leading to a very tactical and explosive finish.

“I won the road race by half a wheel with a dramatic and tactical finish, again due to the very high standard of athlete competing.”

But the 36-year-old fell short of his three gold medal goal when he helped the Birmingham Transplant Team in the 5-a-side football category when the team was struck with injury, which left him lacking energy for the 5km donor run held just two hours later.

The sports lecturer took fourth in his age category.

He received a silver medal with the Birmingham football team to add to his total which beats his score of two golds in last year’s games, and also helped towards the Birmingham total to help them lift the Rose Bowl at the games for most medals.

If he had won three gold medals at this year’s games, Mr Nyland was going for five medals at 2014’s games.

He said: “The goal of five medals rather than five golds is still on but I will have to choose my events strategically as they really take their toll over three to four days.”

“I am really motivated to become faster and stronger this year as I know the British Transplant Games next year in Bolton will be extremely tough.”

He has also been invited to the European Games in Poland 2014 to join the Great Britain squad and hopes to compete in the World Transplant Games in 2015.

Mr Nyland saw the advert for the games when he was being treated for chronic myeloid leukaemia in 1998 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham.

He received a bone marrow transplant from his sister Debbie and underwent chemo and radiotherapy.

“I thought, ‘If I get through this, I will take part and do my bit to hopefully inspire someone like me to get and keep fit to promote organ donation’,” he said.