Five-time Paralympic gold medalist Kieran Modra has died after a car collision in South Australia. The visually impaired swimmer-turned-cyclist died Wednesday morning near Gawler while riding from his home in Hallett Cove to visit friends in Clare.

The 47-year-old first enjoyed success as a swimmer at the 1992 Barcelona Paralympics, winning two bronze medals. He then switched to cycling, winning five gold medals in the tandem sprint at the 1996 Atlanta Games.

Modra won gold again at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics and won his fifth gold medal in the individual B Pursuit with pilot Scott McPhee at the 2012 London Olympics.

He was also a multiple-time Tandem World Champion at the 1998, 2002, 2011, and 2016 Paracycling World Championships and was awarded the Order of Australia in 2014 for his contributions to the sport and the visually impaired.

Modra's brother, Mark, told adelaidenow.com.au that Keiran "leaves a great legacy and has done a great deal from a Paralympic perspective."

"We are coming to terms with what this means to us and especially to his family. He has three young daughters and a wife," said Mark Modra. [He was] a man who never gave up. Nothing was impossible. There was nothing that was 'impossible.'

"He seemed to perform better under adversity and has competed in the Olympics many times ...... And not only did he get there, he often won medals, and often gold.

Kieran Modra is survived by his wife, Kelly, and three daughters, Makara, Holly, and Janae.

Cycling News would like to extend its condolences to Kieran's family and friends.