Cooke claims gold in Para-cycling World Cup race

Cooke crossed the line in a time of 35:20.42 having led the race for the majority of the 18km.

And that is 🥇 for @CazCooke in the time trial at the @UCI_paracycling World Cup!! Love your work CC!! @CyclingAus @AUSParalympics #webelieve @VicInstSport pic.twitter.com/YXXki8ZWbI

— Hannah Macdougall (@HanMacdougall06) May 3, 2018

Cooke, who was born in Canada but moved to Melbourne after marrying an Australian, woke up one morning with balance problems and double vision.

It was a heartbreaking diagnosis of MS for Cooke but the national level swimmer was determined to not let her health issues dictate her life and she took up competitive rowing.

She made the Australian Rowing Team in 2008 and 2009 where she competed at the World Rowing Championships before taking up cycling in 2011.

She was named in the Australian Team for the London Paralympics where Cooke beat the men to win a gold medal in the mixed T1-T2 road time trial.

Cooke also came away with two gold medals in the Road Time Trial and Road Race.

It was the first World Cup race of the season.