THERE were tears and laughter as a little girl crossed the finish line of a para triathlon on Saturday, marking a milestone moment for the four-year-old, who two years ago faced life in a wheelchair.

Little Emmy King was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy Spastic Dipliegia when she was just 20-months-old, which caused her muscles to be constantly stiff.

But thanks to the kindness of strangers, family and friends, Emmy was able to go to America for life-changing treatment called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), which enabled her to stand independently and learn to walk.

The treatment was not available on the NHS at the time, and Emmy’s family raised an incredible £85,000 to pay for the surgery and after-care.

Almost two years after the surgery, Emmy took part in the Superhero Tri at Lake Dorney, where she was pulled in a dingy 150m across a lake, pedalled 3k on a trike and ran 1k to the finish line, cheered on by spectators.

Her mother, Carly King, told The Gazette: “It was incredible, it was so much fun and inspirational.”

Emmy’s, Grandad, Colin Meadows, who entered her into the event, pulled her along in the dingy and also accompanied her on the trike ride, before her parents and seven-year-old sister, Isla, joined her for the final 1k run, for which she used her wheelchair for part of the distance before running across the finish line to cheers from the crowds.

“She milked the applause,” laughed 33-year-old Carly, “The crowd were great.”

Carly said the event showed how far Emmy has come since the operation, saying: “She can jump and run and swim, she’s living life and she starts school in September. Our ultimate goal was that she will walk into school on her first day so that will be so emotional.”

The mother-of-two, from Lychpit, added: “The surgery has completely changed her life. When I look back to how stiff her legs were and how the most small of movements was so hard for her I can’t imagine how life would be for her now and the toll it would have taken on her body. She would definitely be in a wheelchair and probably still using a frame but getting harder, so it was the best decision and I’m so proud of how far she has come.”