THIEVES stole a sports wheelchair from a Paralympic gold medallist while he was out presenting sports awards to children.
James Rawson is a five-time Team GB Paralympian in table tennis, winning five medals across a 25-year career.
But the Toton man was left shocked when the specially-adapted chair he uses to compete was stolen from outside his house.
He is now appealing for the thieves to return the £1,200 chair.
Police called the theft "lower than low" and believe it may have been taken by a man posing as a scrap collector.
Under current prices the £1,200 aluminium chair would fetch about £7.50 as scrap.
It happened while James, 47, was out presenting children with sports awards at Ellis Guilford School, in Basford.
He said: "It's sad that this is what they feel they've got to do. It obviously wasn't out for rubbish. I was shocked when I came back and found it gone."
James uses a regular wheelchair normally but the adapted one is for practice and competing. He had left the distinctive chair behind a closed gate and hidden by bins at the side of his house.
James was paralysed from the chest down after being hit by a car in Newark, aged eight.
The accident severed his spinal cord, but he fought back and went on to win gold in the 92 Barcelona Paralympics, silver in 2000 in Sydney and two bronze medals in Athens in 2004.
He also competed in Seoul 1998 and Beijing 2008.
He added: "That chair has gone all over the world with me and it would cost me much more to replace than whatever someone would get for it for scrap."
To replace the wheelchair today would cost around £3,500.
James, of Seaburn Road, is currently out of action and missed London 2012 due to a nerve injury.
The chair was taken between 6pm and 8.10pm on Thursday and police say they believed it may have been taken by a man seen in the area who was collecting scrap.
A Notts Police spokesman said: "In this case the wheelchair was accessed from behind a gate. It was clearly not for the taking. To steal someone's wheelchair really is lower than low and has caused great distress to the owner. If you know of its whereabouts please call us."
Anyone with information is asked to contact Notts Police on 101 quoting incident 918 of July 18.
