Horsforth's Stone deserves to be a paralympic hero (From Wharfedale Observer)

Horsforth's Stone deserves to be a paralympic hero

7:00am Thursday 30th August 2012 in Sport By Alan Birkinshaw, Weeklies Sports Editor

Horsforth’s David Stone is no stranger to the Paralympics.

The popular cyclist is competing in the event for the third time and he will be looking to win gold in front of the home crowd in London.

Stone, who suffers from cerebral palsy, was in the Great Britain teams for both the Sydney and Beijing Paralympics.

.Now the 31-year-old is competing for Team GB in the T1-2 Road Race and the T1-2 Time Trial.

Stone has high hopes of success after winning two golds in China four years ago.

On that occasion he triumphed in the CP1/3 road race and time trial.

With British cycling on a high after the Olympic Games where the likes of Bradley Wiggins, Sir ChrisHoy, Victoria Pendleton, Laura Trott and Jason Kenny struck gold after Otley’s Lizzie Armitstead set the ball rolling with a silver medal in the women’s road race, Stone and his Team GB colleagues will now be hogging the limelight.

If Stone can repeat his Beijing success, one thing is for sure – we will hear a lot more about it.

The London Paralympics will provide competitors like Stone with a level of TV coverage and newspaper column inches their sports have long craved for.

Stone is already a great ambassadore for his sport and his MBE is was a reward for the massive contribution he has made to disability sport.

Let's hope he can win gold and return home to a hero's welcome. That would be a crowning moment to an impressive career that has often escaped the public's radar.