A Kingston University student-athlete has spoken of her joy at becoming a gold medallist and breaking her own record.

When Sophie Kamlish, 20, is not studying illustration and animation she is a single-leg amputee sprinter for Great Britain.

The undergraduate set a new world record of 12.9 seconds in the heats yesterday of the women’s T44 100m before taking gold at the capital’s London Stadium.

She previously set the record at the Summer Paralympic Games in Rio De Janeiro last year, only narrowly missing out on a medal in the final.

“I was just so, so happy,” she said.

“It’s usually very close but this time I knew I had done it straight away.

“Becoming a world champion is something you would just never imagine and it’s the most amazing feeling to be both a world record holder and to finally win that gold medal too.”

Sophie was born with a congenital abnormality in both feet and elected to have her right leg amputated below the knee at just nine years old.

She became inspired to start sprinting after attending sessions to run by the national Playground to Podium initiative, which aims to support the development of young and talented disabled athletes.

She said: “I definitely made the right decision with my leg, it took me into sport and I would have never done it otherwise.

“It’s crazy how much it’s changed my life and opened up a whole world of possibilities.”

Jo Heath, the university’s sports development manager, said: “Sophie is just fantastic, a real model and an inspiration to others.

“She is so determined and focused on what she wants out of life, so for us it was just about making sure we put everything in place to help her along the way and we couldn’t be more proud of her.”