WARRINGTON is home to a new world champion this week.

Wheelchair bowman John Stubbs returned from Italy on Tuesday with the extra luggage of gleaming gold and silver medals.

The 40-year-old realised a dream by fending off all rivals to win his section of the fifth International Paralympic Committee Archery World Championships.

It was Stubbs' first individual medal success in four world championships attempts and he topped off his golden achievement by adding a second medal when helping the three-man Great Britain team to finish runners-up to Korea.

After four hours of flight delays coming back to England the proud archer returned to his Woolston home to a hero's welcome.

He said: "My wife and father picked me up from Manchester Airport and everything was quite quiet. But when I got home, the house had been decorated and family and friends turned up with champagne. A congratulations party had secretly been arranged at my nearby club, the Woolston Royal British Legion, which was great.

"After having been on a rollercoaster ride of trying to keep my emotions under wraps while competing, it hadn't really all sunk in until I got home. I obviously knew I was the world champion and I am really thrilled."

The Warrington Wolves Archery Club member shot to individual glory in style by defeating Italy's Alberto Simoneli in Sunday's compound-bow men's open class final at Massa Carrara.

Stubbs went into the last end of three arrows one point behind Simoneli, who was clear favourite for the title with having home advantage and after shooting a world record score in qualification.

But the former British champion held his nerve, kept his emotions in check and 'went into that zone' to produce three golden hits for a perfect score of 30 and a win by 106-104. And it was extra special for Stubbs, who receives no financial support to take part in his sport, to win the world title with 12 arrows that his father had specially purchased for this event.

He said: "I knew after my last arrow that I had won. There is an etiquette in archery that you hold back until your opponent has fired all of his arrows. Simoneli had one left but the crowd was going bonkers, because it was like Italy against the rest of the world. I went off like a bottle of pop and I wasn't bothered because I was the world champion."

Stubbs defeated fellow countryman John Murray for the first time in his career to reach the semi finals, where he knocked out a Korean. He had early round successes against German and French opponents.

A motor cycle accident in Altrincham 19 years ago resulted in Stubbs losing his right leg and becoming paralysed in his left leg, but that ordeal did not stop him pursuing his sporting ambitions.

Stubbs, who works as north west sales representative for a wheelchair manufacturing company, won gold medals with the Great Britain archery team in the European Championships in Poland in 2002 and the world championships in the Czech Republic in 2001.

Prior to concentrating his efforts on archery Stubbs appeared for England's cricket team but the pinnacle of his individual career is his success in Italy.

Stubbs' father, John, said: "This is something he wanted to do. He's the number one in the world and I'm very proud of him."