Paralympic Glory for Andy Lewis as he Wins Gold for Great Britain in Rio
When Andy Lewis was struck by a 38 tonne lorry at the age of 16 he thought his dream was over.
But following his win in the PT2 Category race on Saturday 10th September, it is truly a dream come true for the Lydney based Para triathlete, who will be sharing his story at the next B2B Networking event at Basepoint Chepstow on Wednesday 12th October.
"I thought that I was dreaming. I couldn't realise that it was real," said the 33-year-old, who works for Airbus in Bristol. "When I came across that finish line, I held the tape in the air and wondered whether it was all real.
"I can't believe that has happened. I'm just in shock, I'm Paralympic, world and European champion and perhaps I'll have my first beer in two years now. Para-triathlon is such a great addition to the Paralympics and it brings tears to my eyes that I'll be able to tell my kids that I won this gold medal."
Lewis had his right leg amputated through the knee after being involved in a motorbike accident when aged 16. At the time he was applying to be part of the Army Parachute Regiment and was a cross country runner for Gloucestershire.
It is little more than two years since he completed his first para-triathlon, but he claimed an impressive win in one hour 11 minutes 49 seconds, winning by 41 seconds from his nearest rival after moving up from fourth place at the end of the bike leg and ahead of the five-kilometre run.
Pictured is Andy with his Gold medal from the Rio Paralympics.