A NEW Year’s message from Gobi Ranganathan, wheelchair badminton player and Stevenage Olympic Torch carrier.

It’s been an incredible year, both on and off the badminton court.

With a visit to Downing Street for a London 2012 reception, and regular success on court, including four finals in two international tournaments and being crowned European champions in men’s doubles, I didn’t think the year could get any better. However, being nominated by Stevenage Community Trust’s June Oldroyd, and selected as an Olympic torchbearer in Stevenage was the highlight of the year.

It will be hard to follow on from such an amazing time but I hope to continue my on court success in 2013 with the world championships in Germany firmly in my sights. But more importantly as a result of my successes and the legacy of the London 2012 Games, I’m looking forward to engaging with the community further, and hope that I can continue to inspire others to live life to the full and make 2013 another year to remember.