THE family of a Tokyo Paralympics 2020 gold medallist are overjoyed at his success.

Ayaz Bhuta was part of the Great Britain wheelchair rugby team, who beat USA to win the gold medal on Sunday.

His sister, Hajra Bhuta could barely contain her excitement as she spoke about how much the win means to the family and to Ayaz.

She said: “I am absolutely speechless. They came from being number five in the championships to win and it shows they are a force to be reckoned with.

“That win was nail biting. They just come back, win after win, and even pick themselves up after a loss.

“They are amazing, they’ve grown so much together and it’s fantastic, it’s what dreams are made of.”

After briefly speaking and congratulating Ayaz, the family made calls to their relatives up and down the country before celebrating with cake.

Hajra said: “It’s not only a win for the team, but also a win for the nation. The amazing amount of support has blown up.

“The sport does not usually get the recognition it should.

“It did not always start out so rosy. Ayaz has had barriers to overcome. He was given a chance and that’s all people like him need, a chance to be seen and heard.”

The hashtag for the team has been ‘Impossible to ignore’, something the team have continued to post on their social media accounts.

Hajra said: “They are impossible to ignore because of the sheer talent that comes through. Ayaz faces everything head on and does not let anything faze him.

“To get to this stage, they have shown determination to get the job done.

“I think sport has given him the confidence that he needed because growing up there was no Asian Muslim representation and it’s not something that is conventional in our culture.

“With Ayaz, what you see is what you get and even though I am older than him, I look up to him because I think if he can do it, anyone, can.”

Ayaz is not just an able sportsman but also has a degree in Business Information Systems from the University of Bolton.

He worked in customer service before finding wheelchair rugby. He become a professional in the sport in 2013.

Initially, Ayaz got involved with wheelchair basketball, but after being introduced to wheelchair rugby, he fell in love with the contact sport.

He is due back from Tokyo on Tuesday.