“The Challenge”’s Nelson Thomas Wants to Compete in Paralympics After Foot Amputation: ‘I’m Chasing a Dream’ (Exclusive)

• Nelson Thomas had his right foot amputated on March 5, 2024, a year after his devastating car accident

• The Challenge star details his impressive nine-month recovery journey and why he feels “10 times better”

• He now hopes to compete in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles

Nelson Thomas has his sights on the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles — just nine months after his foot amputation.

On March 5, 2024 — the one-year anniversary of his near-fatal car accident — The Challenge star underwent a foot amputation, which he says was the beginning of his second chance. The 36-year-old recalls waking up in the hospital after surgery and crying as he accepted his new reality.

“Growing up in this generation as a man, we don't want to show fear, we don't want to shed tears. But we need to let those things out because that's when you find your true self,” he tells PEOPLE. “The day I cut off my foot, man, I never looked back. And I've been the happiest man ever since.”

“I knew what kind of life I wanted to live,” he adds. “I knew my journey wasn't done. I knew that God gave me a second chance and that he's using me as a vessel to inspire others.”

Thomas says it’s been a “crazy rollercoaster” ride adjusting to the loss of his right foot.

After surgery, he was desperate to get back to his past level of physicality. He admits that there were moments in his recovery where he struggled both physically and mentally, but, “I'm not going to let having one foot stop me from doing what I love,” he says.

Related: Nelson Thomas Says 'I Blame Myself for Everything' After Car Accident That Led to Foot Amputation (Exclusive)

So, Thomas started reaching out to Paralympians and other below-the-knee amputees who were actively involved in athletics and competitive fitness training. Throughout his search, he came across Adaptive Training Foundation, a nonprofit organization that specializes in rehabilitation and functional training for athletes with disabilities.

After joining the gym’s 10-week program in September, Thomas says he found a community that’s pushed him in new ways. He even decided to move from Austin, Texas, to Dallas, to train full-time with ATF.

Thomas says his training involved returning to the basics by relearning crawling, walking, running, jumping and teaching his mind to understand that his body “can't move the same way I was.”

The experience was not only physical, but spiritually and mentally therapeutic.

“Having a strong community around you, people that believed in you, it really does a lot for a person,” he admits. “I was going there just for the physicality of moving in my prosthetic and being more agile and stronger and making a comeback. But when I walked through those doors, I walked out a whole different man.”

“I feel like I'm 10 times better,” he boasts. “It's been a blessing, and I'm moving and grooving. Do I have a lot longer way to go? Yeah, we all do. I expect a lot more out of me. I'm not resting in the middle. I'll rest at the end.”

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Thomas reveals that he also has a pretty big goal that he’s set now that he’s fully adjusted to his prosthetic, and his training has just begun.

“Another reason why I moved to Dallas is because I'll be competing in the Paralympics in California in 2028. I'll be doing the long jump and I'll also be doing the 200,” he shares, proudly speaking the goal into existence.

“At the end of the day, you have to pull yourself out the mud. Nobody can do that for you,” he says. “And ever since then, I never looked back. I'm chasing a dream…It's not over for me. This is just the beginning.”

Although his eyes are set on the Paralympic Games, Thomas tells PEOPLE that he still has some “unfinished business” with The Challenge, which fans have been pressing him about on social media.

“A lot of people want me to go back on The Challenge and be the first below-the-knee amputee, but I want people to know that I'm not doing this for The Challenge,” he explains.

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Related: Nelson Thomas Credits The Challenge in Helping Him Accept Foot Amputation as He Mulls Future on TV (Exclusive)

The reality star says he’s extremely grateful for MTV and the platform he’s built thanks to his time on the show. However, there’s more he wants to do in life outside of the show.

“Do I have some unfinished business on The Challenge? Yes, I do. I want to go back on The Challenge, but I feel like my purpose is bigger than that,” he says. “But if I ever had the opportunity and [host TJ Lavin] gives me that phone call, hell yeah I'm picking up. I know I have what it takes to win. I know I was very, very close.”

“Nine seasons deep is crazy to me. Watching season 40, it hurts me sometimes. It really does because I know I should have been there. I know I should have been competing and I know that I took my gift for granted,” he continues. “It's sad because we take things for granted until we lose them. But trust me, once you get it back, I ain't never letting go and I'm holding tight as hell. And that's just the truth.”

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