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Andy Lewis makes Paralympic history at Rio games
Andy Lewis, the para-triathlete sponsored by Fieldfisher since August last year, has won gold at the inaugural Paralympic Games triathlon – just four years after taking up the sport.
Andy's win caps a remarkable year in which he's won gold at the World Championships in Rotterdam, the ITU World Triathlon Series in Penrith, Australia, and also at the European Championships.
Competing in the PT2 category, Andy completed the 750m swim in 12 minutes 51 seconds, meaning he started the bike ride in 3rd place. He completed the 22.28km cycle in 36:58, and started on the 5km run outside of the medal places, in fourth.
But despite this, and being two minutes behind first placed Michele Ferrarin of Italy, Andy's 20:47 run meant he finished the event in 1hr 11:49 – a total of 41 seconds ahead of the Italian, who came second.
This is an incredible achievement and the emotion was evident in Andy as he gave his post-race interviews to the gathered media. His first words after crossing the line were "what just happened?", before adding: "I am shocked right now. The boys in the British team have been saying to me I am the European, world and now Paralympic champion. When I came across the finish line, I held the tape in the air and wondered whether it was all real…it's great to achieve this on a momentous day in Paralympic history."
Mark Bowman, the partner who introduced Andy to the firm, said: "I am thrilled that our support has not only helped Andy to get to Rio, but also to help him gold. This is a phenomenal achievement given he only took up the sport four years ago, and he is an inspiration to both our staff and our clients as he continues to triumph in the face of adversity."