Paralympic medallist Anna - 'I'VE PUT MY FAMILY THROUGH HELL'

The cycling star says she couldn't have won silver in Paris without the support of her loved ones

Overcoming thyroid cancer and later a serious spinal cord injury, the journey of Paralympic cyclist Anna Taylor to winning a silver medal in Paris has been fraught with health challenges.

Time and time again, the 33-year-old Cambridge-based athlete has risen from the canvas and, with the love and support of her family and friends, delivered on her sporting ambitions.

"It was cool to have my family in Paris cheering me for a happy reason because they've been through some crappy times with my health issues," Anna tells Woman's Day. "Throughout, my family has always been in my corner championing me."

An energetic child, the fourth of five kids raised on a lifestyle block in Taupō, Anna was encouraged into sport by her mum Raewyn, 66. A competitive Paralympic cyclist Anna Taylor to winning a silver medal in Paris has been fraught with health challenges.

Time and time again, the 33-year-old Cambridge-based athlete has risen from the canvas and, with the love and support of her family and friends, delivered on her sporting ambitions.

"It was cool to have my family in Paris cheering me for a happy reason because they've been through some crappy times with my health issues," Anna tells Woman's Day. "Throughout, my family has always been in my corner championing me." An energetic child, the fourth of five kids raised on a lifestyle block in Taupō, Anna was encouraged into sport by her mum Raewyn, 66. A competitive swimmer in her youth, Anna later discovered a passion for rowing as a student at St Peter's School in Cambridge.