THERE’S no stopping Lydney’s parathlete Andy Lewis who has added world champion to his ever-growing list of accolades.

Only two weeks ago he officially announced he will represent Great Britain at the Rio Paralympic Games in September.

The World Championships at the weekend in Rotterdam, Netherlands, proved to be a tough yet successful event for Andy.

He said: “I started with a strong swim finishing in 10min 30secs, which I was very happy with.

“Next was the bike and I managed to build my speed quickly. A couple of technical issues distracted me but once I re-focused I realised I was leading a world championship race.

“A minor mistake for not putting my bike in the box meant I had to return to rectify it as I didn’t want a penalty. At this point I could hear my competition nearing and ran fast.

“After the first lap I was way out in front and couldn’t see anyone. As I passed the coaches I asked for a time check and thought I ‘must be ok’ otherwise they would have told me.

“This was it I started to get emotional thinking about being world champion. I finished the second lap catching some of the other slower runners it was then on to the finish. The finish chute was in sight and the coaches told me to enjoy the moment. Not only had I won but I had beaten my USA rival by two minutes and my fellow GB team mate by five minutes.

“I felt elated, overwhelmed with such an achievement of taking on the world and winning. With Rio around the corner, I’m going to ensure that all my nutrition, swim, bike and run remains in the best possible place so I can go to the Games with the best chance of coming home with a medal.”