PLUCKY Michelle Lewis triumphed in the mini London Marathon for wheelchairs on Sunday.

And a delighted Michelle couldn't hide her joy after winning the 2.8 mile race - her first ever competition.

The handicapped 16-year-old Cowley High School pupil, said: "I'm still on cloud nine. I can't believe that I won the race. Before the race I was wondering if I was even going to get through it.

"Special thanks must go to my trainer Pete Wyman and Rainhill Rotary Club. The Rotary Club helped to pay the £3,500 for my racing wheelchair and without them Sunday wouldn't have been possible - they've been wonderful and have given me so much support over the last six months."

Champion fundraiser, Michelle, who announced shortly after the New Year that she had managed to hit the £500,000 with her fundraising, is now more determined than ever to hit that magical £1million mark.

And the £1,000 she raised for the Macmillan Appeal on Sunday with her winning mini-marathon will be steering her towards that figure.

Michelle, who comes from Rainhill, said: "My ambitions now are to hit the £1million mark in time for my 18th birthday and to compete in the New York marathon, and I'm determined not to let anything get in the way of achieving either of those aims."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.