US man who lost both legs after falling onto New York subway tracks completes 5k obstacle course

A double amputee who lost his legs after falling onto the New York subway tracks has completed a three mile run and obstacle course - including crawling through the mud and jumping over walls.

Roman Leykin, 36, suffered an epileptic fit on his commute to work in 2018 and fell onto the tracks of the New York subway.

He was hit by a train, lost both of his legs above the knee and suffered a brain injury.

But he completed the gruelling race, which took place in Wallingford, Connecticut, in the scorching sun in approximately three hours.

Former software developer Roman, from Stamford, Connecticut, said: "The day of the gauntlet started off with the sun scorching.

"The race started more or less immediately and went right to D-Day, a mud crawl, and then a walk, and then a climb over the Stairway to Heaven, and more walking, and more sun."

The sun and heat turned out to be even more of a challenge as his prosthetics kept coming off which slowed down his progress.

He said: "It was so hot, my prosthetics kept coming off, so I would have to stop and put my legs on again, and walk a few steps, and go down, and put them back on again.

"Crossing the finishing line, I felt triumphant and exhilarating, since I did it under my own power and walked by myself with no assistance from my teammates."

Roman's recovery leading up to the point of finishing the course has been a long and incredibly hard battle.

He added: "My traumatic brain injury was what kept me in inpatient care for a little over a year and two different clinics.

"That was a lot of relearning how to communicate: read, write, speak.

"Learning how to better use my prosthetic legs in walking more naturally has been an ongoing process.