British Paralympian found alive and safe after missing person report

British Paralympian Sam Ruddock has been found alive after being reported as a missing person in Las Vegas, USA.

The 35-year-old had not been heard from in 11 days, after travelling to the US to attend a wrestling event.

A statement from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department read: "A missing person report was filed on April 24, 2025. Through the course of the investigation, the individual has been located safe."

Ruddock's friend, Lucy Hatton, who helped lead an urgent search for the para-cyclist, also confirmed he is "alive and well" and "currently being taken care of".

Addressing her Instagram followers, Hatton said: "I need to obviously get more status updates, but I don't care – let's get that boy home. Thank you so much to everybody in the messages."

Ruddock was last heard from on 16 April, prior to his disappearance. He had travelled alone to the Las Vegas, where he had hoped to spectate at Wrestlemania on 19-20 April.

His last known location was the Gold and Silver Pawn Shop from the TV show 'Pawn Stars'.

"Sam stayed one night at the Bungalow Hostel Hotel but did not check out and did not return to collect his belongings. Since then, there has been no communication or confirmed sightings," Hatton previously told Cycling Weekly in a statement.

Speaking to the BBC, Hatton said Ruddock's disappearance was "really, really out of character", but that recently he had not been in "the right head space".

The 35-year-old was reported missing last Thursday, with US and UK police forces notified, as well as the international organisation Interpol. A four-day investigation has now finished in his safe location.

Born in Rugby, Warwickshire, Ruddock has spastic diplegia, a form of cerebral palsy that primarily affects the legs, and impacts balance and coordination.

He competed as a runner at the London 2012 Paralympics, and switched to shot put afterwards, participating in the track-and-field event at the 2016 Games in Rio, Brazil.

Ruddock joined the British national cycling squad in 2019. He went on to win two world titles in the kilometre time trial, in 2022 and 2023, competing in the C1 category.