A battling teenager who lost his sight to cancer is bidding for World Cup glory after being called up for the British Goalball youth squad.

Nick Killen, 15, who had to have his eyes removed nine years ago to save him from a rare cancer, is hoping some good performances during the first staging of the international youth Goalball tournament in Florida may lead to a place in future Paralympic squads.

And with the Saltaire youngster also being groomed by Britain's visually impaired judo squad, he could end up representing his country in two different sports at the Paralympics in Athens in 2004 or in China four years later.

The under-18 boys tournament, to be staged at St Augustine in Florida in January, will see teams from around the world competing for the first Goalball world youth title.

Launched in Germany after the First World War to help rehabilitate blind soldiers, the sport is now played all over the world.

Teams of three compete on a pitch the size of a volleyball court and equipped with tactile lines and orientation points, playing with a large hollow ball - containing three bells - which they attempt to roll into their opponents' goal.

Players wear special eye shades to block out any light - meaning that blind, visually impaired and even sighted people can compete on an equal footing.

Nick - who is due to leave for Japan on Thursday with the visually impaired judo squad for ten days' training with some of the world's top coaches - said: "I'm very proud to be picked for the squad. It's very exciting and if I do play, it'll be just like being at the World Cup.

"I just love the competition involved with Goalball. I just seem to have a good ear for the ball. I'm quite a good thrower and being left handed adds another dimension to the team.''

Team coach Sue Manton, who works with blind and visually impaired youngsters for Leicester's local education authority, said: "Nick really does have an excellent ear for the ball and always seems to know exactly where it is, which is half the battle in this sport.

"He's got his own individual style and although he still needs to work on his technique a bit, we've called him up for the squad to go to America in January.

"Members of the public look at people like him and are absolutely amazed at what they can do. But working with blind and visually impaired youngsters, I know what they're capable of and have very high expectations of them so to me it's a question of why not, anything's possible''

Mrs Manton added: "The British men's team more or less disbanded after the last Paralympics in Sydney so we'll definitely be looking for potential successors among the members of this youth squad.''