TWO Lydney Paralympians — one of them with a gold medal — can expect a hero’s welcome when they return to the Forest.

Andy Lewis made history by winning gold in the first-ever PT2 triathlon competition at the Paralympic while Jack Rutter, of the Lydney first senior team, led Britain’s cerebral palsy football side who will end the Games with a top six finish.

Lydney Town Council says it is working with 33-year-old Andy’s family on a homecoming procession.

Andy set a new personal best of 1hr 11mins exactly in adding Paralympic gold to his world and European triathlon titles.

The triathlon involved a three-mile run, a 14-mile bike ride and 750m in choppy waters off Copacabana beach.

“The race was very demanding. The toughest yet. It was my best time ever in a race, however I had to work extremely hard on the run to hunt down four people who had passed me on the bike.

“The setting was beautiful, where is there more of an iconic place than Copacabana beach? The weather was overcast to start but as the race went on it became very hot. I was third out of the swim which isn’t great as I’m normally first. Next I get on the bike which was so hard I was actually sick. People were passing me, five in fact. But I had to stay calm

“After dismounting the bike and getting on the run I knew I could make the podium, what was next was which colour I would take.”

Meanwhile, despite a shaky start in the football heats, captain Jack Rutter helped his team beat Ireland 5-1 in the last game of the group by scoring a goal just 21 seconds into the match starting.

Senior secretary, Roger Sansom said: “The team lost to Brazil and Ukraine meaning it would struggle to qualify for a medal place.

“In the last game against Ireland the team win has put them through to play a game for a fifth or sixth place.

“As a club it is a big honour to have Jack play for us. He joined us last season from Newent FC and has been committed to his training regime with his GB squad, therefore we haven’t seen him much. We look forward to welcoming him home from Rio.”

Mr Rutter was punched in the back of the head on a night out in Gloucester in 2009 and suffered brain damage and is permanently deaf in his right ear.

Mr Sansom said: “The attack meant that Jack’s dreams of becoming a professional footballer had been shattered. At the time he was signed to Birmingham City FC and was on the verge of signing as a professional.

He captained the England team at the 2014 European Championships in Portugal where the team finished in fifth place. His achievements are remarkable.”

Look out in next week’s Review for details of dates, times and the route plan.

•See the Review for photographs of Andy’s epic efforts in Brazil.