LIPHOOK’S very own paralympian, Oliva Breen, 20, celebrated a triumphant return to the Olympic Stadium by winning a gold medal in long jump at the London 2017 World Para Championships on Monday.

The former Bohunt pupil, pictured, who at the age of 16 came home with a bronze medal after competing in the 4x100m relay team in 2012, said that she was totally ecstatic.

She said: "Words can’t express how happy I am. I came into the competition feeling really positive but it was a strong and competitive field – so you never know.

“The Olympic Park holds so many special memories for me and I loved being back there. Five years of extremely hard work and ups and downs have paid off.

“I dug deep and I didn’t give up and the world is a much better place today.

“I was delighted to share the morning at the Olympic Park with my family and friends including some of my former classmates from Bohunt. It was an amazing day.”

Olivia, 20, who has cerebral palsy, won gold with a personal best of 4.81m, beating her nearest rival Erin Cleaver from Australia, who jumped 4.61m. Poland’s Anna Trener-Wierciak was third with 4.60.

Olivia’s winning leap came in the fourth round of competition at the Olympic Stadium, after efforts of 4.61m and 4.72m.

Just under a year ago she came 12th in the Rio Paralympics and it was that finish that led her to make a life-changing decision to leave London and move to Loughborough, where she moved into university halls, joined a new training group under coach Aston Moore, transformed herself into a gold medalist, and won the first global title of her career this week.