Britain’s first Paralympic champion Margaret Maughan has been described as a “legend” of the movement following her death at the age of 91.
Maughan won gold medals in both archery and swimming at the 1960 Games in Rome, less than a year after she had been paralysed from the waist down in a car accident.
Maughan went on to compete in four more Paralympic Games, winning gold in lawn bowls in 1980, and lit the flame at the London 2012 Games.
We are devastated that a trailblazer of the Paralympic movement, Margaret Maughan, has passed away aged 91.
Margaret was our first ever Paralympic Gold medallist in Rome in 1960.
Margaret we thank you, we salute you for all that you did and we will never forget you.
— ParalympicsGB (@ParalympicsGB) May 20, 2020
British Paralympic Association chairman Nick Webborn said: “We mourn today the loss of one of Great Britain’s legends in Paralympic sport with the passing of Margaret Maughan.
“Although her passing is extremely sad, the fact that she lived until the age of 91 is testament to the work of Sir Ludwig Guttmann who transformed the care of people with spinal cord injury, and that through sport people with disabilities can enjoy rich and fulfilling lives.”
Speaking to the BBC after lighting the flame in 2012, Maughan said: “I feel very proud to be at the start of all this. From just a team of 70 British people in wheelchairs at the first Games, now there are hundreds from all disabilities.”
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