Injured Bethany Firth ruled out of IPC World Championships

Bethany Firth was just 16 when she won Paralympic gold in London

Paralympic champion and world-record holder Bethany Firth has been forced to pull out of the British Team for the IPC Swimming World Championships.

Firth, 19, fractured her wrist in training and will miss the competition in Glasgow which runs from 13-19 July.

Her withdrawal is a major blow to the British team as she is the world-record holder in all four events she would have been competing in.

"I am really upset about not being able to compete in Glasgow," Firth said.

"I had been looking forward to being a member of the British team and I was feeling in really good shape.

"The accident happened in training and I do not have enough time to recover in order to compete at the worlds.

"I want to wish my team-mates the best of luck for the competition. I know that they will be amazing and will show how good they are."

Firth, from Northern Ireland, will take part in a rehabilitation programme, with her chief focus being the Paralympics in Rio in 2016.

At London 2012, Firth won a gold medal in the S14 100 metres backstroke while competing for Ireland, and she won three events at the IPC World Championships the following year.