CROSSGATES boccia star Kieran Steer will make his debut as a Paralympian when the 15th Games begin in Rio on Wednesday September 7.

The eyes of the world will be on the famous Maracanã Stadium when the 2016 Paralympic Games are declared open and the Disability Sport Fife athlete is one of a 264-strong Great Britain team who will hope to take inspiration from their country's Olympic team last month.

A total of 19 events will be contested by the cream of disability sportsmen and women at the Games and hopes are high that Kieran, 21, will be contesting for a medal in the individual and pairs events within the BC4 classification.

After first being introduced to boccia – a sport similar to bowls but designed specifically for athletes with a disability – six years ago at a multi-sports day hosted by DSF, Steer has enjoyed a rapid rise to success.

Selection to the GB squad through his involvement in a fast-track talent programme saw him achieve success both domestically and internationally, as well as becoming a full-time performance athlete, training on court between 10-12 hours a week.

Steer's consistent level of development saw him reach a world ranking of 11 in individual competition and fourth in the pairs, help GB's BC4 pair finish as runners-up in last year's European Teams and Pairs Boccia Championships and win gold in the singles at the 2015 European Continental Cup in Barcelona.

He also won a BC4 singles silver at the GB Boccia Championships in July and his coach, Claire Morrison, said: "Kieran is playing the best boccia of his career and this result could not come at a better time in the run up to the 2016 Paralympic Games."

The Games run until September 18 and the boccia programme will take place from September 10-16.