A girl from Aylesbury in Bucks has won five gold medals for Team GB at the 2023 World Transplant Games.

Flora King, a 24-year-old from the Aylesbury Vale, returned triumphant from this year's World Transplant Games, held in Perth, Australia, on April 15-22, with a whopping five gold medals. 

Flora was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure in 2009, after noticing feelings of extreme tiredness and sickness.

A biopsy showed that her kidneys were working at only 20% of the capacity she needed them to, and when she was rushed to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, she was told she needed a kidney transplant to survive.

Luckily, her dad was a match, and at just 12-years-old she underwent the serious procedure. 

Flora had been an extremely active hockey player before the transplant, and she has stayed faithful to her sportswoman roots.

She is now an accomplished athlete, competing at an international level for Team Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The five gold medals she took home at the World Transplant Games spanned different sporting categories, including tennis, cricket, squash and javelin throwing.

Her impressive wins helped to place Team GB and NI at the very top of the medal tables, beating out competitors from Australia and Thailand to take home a grand total of 288.

Last month's annual World Transplant Games saw over 2500 transplant recipients, donors and supporters travel to Perth from all over the world to compete and raise awareness of the lifesaving benefits of organ donation.

Other stars of Team GB and NI include 15-year-old Kristof Polgar, who took home four medals in tennis, table tennis, squash and badminton, and was named Outstanding Junior Athlete at the games' closing ceremony.

Dr Paul Harden, Chair of Transplant Sport and one of Team GB and NI's doctors, said: 

“We are so incredibly proud of each and every athlete that travelled to Perth to compete on behalf of their country.

“Many of these people have defied the odds, experienced near-death situations and battled long illnesses, so to see them taking part in sport with transplant communities from across the world is a true inspiration.”

After the team's incredible success at the global event, anticipation has never been greater for the British Transplant Games, which will see athletes from across the country compete against one another in Coventry this July.

Readers can visit https://transplantsport.org.uk for more information about Transplant Sport and all of the great work they are doing across the UK.