Speed queen Lewis takes on the world

Jessica Lewis produced a gutsy display at the IPC Athletics World Championships in Lyon, France.

Bermuda’s Paralympian came eighth in the final of the T53 100m final in a time of 19.17sec after putting in a huge performance the day before to qualify. 

Lewis, 20, overcame back pain to clock a season’s best 18.56sec in her heat to take her place on the start line alongside the best athletes from China, Japan, Australia, Switzerland and the United States. 

Lewis also raced in the T53 semi-finals, missing out on the final by 0.12 of a second.

Despite the frustration of narrowly failing to qualify, Lewis could take some solace from her fifth-place heat finish as it was also a new season’s best time of 33.95.

Lewis will also hit the track today to compete in the T53 400m. 

The World Championships have drawn more than 1,100 athletes from 99 countries around the world.