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Richard Parks is used to rough sporting battles, having played rugby union for Wales, but it's his career as a self-styled "extreme environmental athlete" that has really pushed him to the limits.

His next goal is to climb Everest without the aid of oxygen, taking blood samples along the way to help medical research into Alzheimer's.

It's all a far cry from the day he learned his rugby career was over, as Sportshour's Caroline Barker discovered.

Photos: Richard Parks in action for Wales (left). And ready for his next extreme environmental sporting challenge (right).