Heather Fell, Olympic modern pentathlete silver medalist, writes about her life 'on and off' the track.

Last week I lost my most avid column reader. I have always been told that life should be celebrated, so I want to take this opportunity to reflect on my loving grandmother who passed away last Tuesday.

At the impressive age of 90, Vera Constance Maria Hutchings had experienced a hardworking life. She lost all of her teeth at a young age and survived a total of seven hip replacements, yet you never heard her complain. Due to her disabilities I have only known Granny with crutches or her wheelchair, both of which provided hours of entertainment for my sister and I when growing up.

Another vivid memory I have comes from my days as a young member of Tavistock Swimming Club and the coach trips to the Saturday afternoon galas. I remember the challenge of helping Granny onto the bus with her trusty step (that I was always slightly embarrassed to bring with us), and how she accurately recorded all of my times and calculated the overall team points tally.

I think Granny was sometimes better known than me on the sporting circuit! My friends, competitors and other supporters were always pleased to see her. I know that she had a lot of pleasure from following my sporting journey — her house was pretty much a trophy cabinet as she so proudly displayed my medals.

It was not just her role as a grandmother to six of us that she filled so brilliantly; she had several great grandchildren from whom she gained immense amounts of pleasure, including the latest edition, my niece Eleanor, whose christening was celebrated on Sunday.