Archery star Dani makes sporting history

Brown, who won gold for Great Britain at the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing, had already become the first Paralympian to represent England at a Commonwealth Games. Now she has secured an unprecedented double.

Brown said: "I don't rank one achievement higher than the other. The Paralympics was amazing and it was my first big competition. But winning here against able-bodied competitors is equally awesome."

The England team beat Canada 232-229 to take the gold, world number one Hunt securing the victory with an eight-point shot with the final arrow she described as an "easy shot".

Afterwards Hunt paid tribute to Brown, saying: "Danielle earned her place on our team by a mile and she shot really well. We are very proud of what she has achieved. Hopefully we can go on and

win more medals."

Brown, a 22-year-old law graduate from Lothersdale near Keighley, suffers from reflex sympathetic dystrophy which causes chronic pain in her feet. She uses crutches or a wheelchair to get around but stepped onto the podium unaided to receive her medal.

Hunt added: "It was a really tough match and Canada were fantastic. But I think we shot to our potential and it was a good performance in the end."

On her gold medal-clinching shot, she said: "It was an easy shot. My team-mates really helped me out. If I had to shoot at 10, it could have been different."

Simpson, asked about Hunt's nerves of steel at the end, said: "We had faith in Nicky. We knew she would make it."