A teenager who lost his sight to cancer is being groomed for the Paralympics after winning a clutch of judo medals.

Nicholas Killen, 15, has won medals competing against fully sighted opponents.

Now Nicholas, who goes to Bradford's Temple Bank School for blind and visually impaired students, is preparing for his first international event with his coach, who is aiming to send the teenager to represent Britain at the Paralympics.

Nicholas, of Saltaire, who had his eyes removed to save him from a rare cancer nine years ago, now has a cabinet full of judo trophies and medals.

A green belt Pudsey Judo Club member, his most recent achievements include bronzes in sections at the British Open Championships in Birmingham and the Yorkshire and Humberside Closed Championships, during which he held his own with sighted competitors several years older than himself.

His coach, Manchester-based Steve Pullen MBE, who specialises in coaching blind and visually impaired fighters for the British Judo Association, said: "He's preparing for the German Open Judo Championships at the end of May. He's doing extremely well - he should get to his black belt with two or three years' training and definitely has the potential and determination to reach the Paralympics. We're aiming for 2008 but Athens in 2004 is a possibility.''

Mr Pullen, who coaches Nicholas at Urmston Judo Club, said: "It takes a lot of courage for someone blind to go on to a judo mat and for a young lad to do so and fight as competitively and well as he does is phenomenal.'' His mother Susan said: "We don't know how he manages with all the things he's doing - he's taking some of his GCSEs 12 months early this year - but he does very well and we're extremely proud of his achievements.''

Nicholas said: "It would mean a great deal to me to get to the Paralympics - an achievement I'd be very proud of."