A WORCESTER para-rower has set her sights on Tokyo 2020 after claiming a world gold medal.

Giedre Rakauskaite, 26, was part of the victorious Great Britain PR3 mixed coxed four on her debut in the World Championships in Florida, USA.

The crew of Rakauskaite, James Fox, Ollie Stanhope, Grace Clough and cox Anna Corderoy eased through their first race in Sarasota-Bradenton by 22 seconds to face off against the USA, Ukraine and Italy.

With this year’s event seeing the Paralympic event doubled in distance from one kilometre to 2km, the crew’s first race saw them set a new world best time.

They repeated the feat in the final when they went 14 seconds faster in six minutes 55.7 seconds.

Stanhope, Rakauskaite and Corderoy were all newcomers to the dominant crew.

The Worcester Rowing Club competitor started the sport in 2006 in Kaunas, Lithuania, but barely a year later her life was turned upside down by a car accident which badly injured her leg.

She was determined to continue rowing and moved to England in 2011 to study sports coaching science at the University of Worcester University.

Rakauskaite rowed for the university team and then began coaching at Hereford Cathedral School where she took on the lead role upon graduation in 2014.

She has continued to compete through the Worcester club and won a silver medal at the British Indoor Championships in 2015 before making the semi-finals of the senior doubles at Henley Women’s Regatta.

Rakauskaite said: “I want to work towards winning a place in the boat for Tokyo 2020."