DAVE Henson has established himself as the most successful sprinter in the history of Southampton Athletic Club.

His bronze medal at the World Para Athletics Championships in London has propelled him to new heights.

In the various incarnations of the club, no athlete has ever achieved greater individual success than the 32-year-old who entered the sport as recently as 2014.

Since then 'blade runner' Henson’s rise has been meteoric under the guidance of coach Roger Keller.

He made his mark globally in 2015, fighting his way to seventh place in the 200 metres final of the IPC World Championships in Doha.

The following year brought a 200m silver at the IPC European Championship in Italy before he moved on to the biggest stage of all, striking Paralympic bronze in Rio in a fine time of 24.74 seconds.

Earlier this year Henson improved his 200m personal best by another half a second to 24.25 and set his sights on a World Championships medal on home soil.

And it was mission accomplished as he cemented his place among the global elite, taking another T42 bronze medal in 24.73 seconds behind Great Britain teammate Richard Whitehead.

“Dave’s trajectory of improvement shows no sign of levelling off and he can look forward to further honours in the next four-year cycle of major championships,” said Southampton AC sprint coach Gary MacDonald-Gray.

A retired British Army captain, Henson served with the Royal Engineers and lost both his legs when he stood on an IED in February 2011 when on patrol in Helmand, Afghanistan.

Sport played a vital part in his recovery, notably the Invictus Games for injured servicemen and women, championed by Prince Harry.

A dad-of-one, Fareham-based Henson was schooled at St George Catholic College in Swaythling.

He is a life member of Southampton AC and trains at the Mountbatten Centre in Portsmouth.

He was awarded the MBE in 2014.