Thousands raised for family of Paralympic gold medallist who died after being hit by car

Thousands have been raised for the family of Paralympic gold medallist Kieran Modra who died after being hit by a car while riding his bike.

Australian Modra was riding north of Adelaide when he was hit by a car on November 13.

The 47-year-old competed in eight Paralympic Games across athletics, swimming and later cycling where he found most success.

In the wake of his death, a fundraising campaign was set up to help support Modra’s wife Kerry and three daughters Holly, Makala and Janae.

The campaign has raised just over $13,000 (£9,000) since it was set up on November 21 thanks to donations from 77 people.

You can view the GoFundMe page here.

After Modra’s death, chief executive of Paralympics Australia said: “We are in shock and we are absolutely devastated.

“Our deepest condolences are with Kieran’s wife Kerry and their three children as well as the many people in within the Paralympic community, particularly the Para-cycling community, who will be rocked by this tragedy. We are hurting with you.”

Modra, who was visually impaired, started his Paralympic career in 1998 in athletics, switched two swimming in 1992 and won two bronze medals.

But it was the switch to Para-cycling that took Modra’s career to the next level, as he won five gold and three bronze medals, including three consecutive Paralympic victories in the tandem pursuit from 2004 to 2012.

Modra was cycling on the Sturt Highway at Kingford when he was hit by a car travelling in the same direction just after 7am and died at the scene. Police are investigating.

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Anderson added: “In retirement from elite competition, Kieran was always giving back, working as a mentor to the next generation of talent and it was our pleasure that he accepted to our invitation to participate in our Tokyo 2020 team processing sessions to share his experiences with athletes aiming for Paralympic success next year.

“This is a truly distressing time for us. This is a loss that will be felt for a long time to come.”