IINSPIRATIONAL para-powerlifter Micky Yule begins his quest to win a place at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics next week.

The Wallyford star heads to Japan for a qualifying competition which marks two years until the Games take place in the Japanese capital.

And former soldier Yule, who lost both legs when he stepped on an improvised explosive device while on army duty in Afghanistan in 2010, is looking forward to the event as he starts his bid to appear at a second Paralympics, after finishing sixth in the 2016 Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

He told Courier Sport: “It’s come around so quickly – it feels like five minutes since I left Rio.

“It also doesn’t feel long since the Gold Coast [Commonwealth Games in the spring] but it’s crazy how it creeps up on you.”

The dad-of-two has been at Loughborough University this week as he rounds off his training before flying out to Japan on Tuesday.

Of his training regime, Yule added: “It’s been tough but I’m starting to hit some pretty big numbers.

“I always think that when it comes to competitions, whoever can go into it the least injured is likely to win.”

But while he’ll be spending time honing his skills in the gym ahead of the event, Yule has also been learning about traditional Japanese customs.

“They see people with tattoos as gangsters – that’s me screwed!” said the county ace, who is covered in tattoos. “I think it’s changed a bit now but in some areas I might have to cover myself up a bit.”

And he added: “My Japanese should probably be better than it is!”

An 11-hour flight awaits – and is not without its challenges.

“We’ve got to manage our nutrition really well, and the jet lag is an obvious problem – the Gold Coast was a 23-hour flight and I was ‘done in’ for about four or five days after that,” he said.

“It’s just about making sure I’m in top shape come the comp.”

And Yule, a former pupil at Musselburgh Grammar School who now lives south of the Border in Lincoln, has set his sights on returning from Japan with a medal.

“I’ve got to medal, that has to be my goal for each of the four qualifying events before the Paralympics,” he said.