The prospect of emulating Natalie Du Toit by competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games is coming closer to reality for Great Britain cyclist Sarah Storey.

Two scintillating performances at the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships have further convinced Storey of her ability to compete in both Olympic and Paralympic competition, as South African swimmer Du Toit did in Beijing last year.

The 32-year-old Storey, herself a former Paralympic swimming champion, yesterday won her third successive women's LC1 individual pursuit title at the Para-cycling Track World Championships since switching from the pool in 2005, clocking a world record of three minutes 34.266 seconds.

It was more than two seconds quicker than her previous best - set in winning Paralympic gold in Beijing - and rivals the times set by the world's leading able-bodied riders.

"It's a bit sooner than I expected to go that quick," Storey, who was born with a deformed left hand, said.

"I'm in the realms of the big time. It's so encouraging."

Storey made her Paralympic debut as a 14-year-old in Barcelona in 1992 and won five gold, eight silver and three bronze medals across four Games before a chronic ear infection forced her out of the pool.

Now she is on course to rival Olympic gold and silver medallists Wendy Houvenaghel and Olympic champion Rebecca Romero, in the absence of whom Storey won the national pursuit title last month.

On Saturday, Storey caught her opponent to win gold after five laps of the 12-lap final.

Her opening kilometre time was 1:10.889, which would have placed her fifth in the men's LC1 one-kilometre time-trial and, had she continued at the pace, would have seen her clock 3:30 - a time which would have rivalled Houvenaghel for gold at last weekend's Track World Cup.

"It was good to do that and one day I'll finish that off," said Storey.

The Mancunian's sights are now set on the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, which come three month's after the Para-cycling World Championships in Cali, Colombia.

Following the lead of Du Toit and Polish table-tennis player Natalia Partyka, who also competed in the Olympic and Paralympic Games in China, in London could then become reality - although the team pursuit is the likely avenue for Storey to consider with the individual event poised to be axed in changes to the Olympic programme set to be ratified next month.

Storey is excited by the prospect, but is in no rush to fulfil a long-held dream in the capital.

"I just have to keep working on getting faster," she added.

"I'm going to set my sights as high as I can and hopefully that will take me to the next step.

"There are Games to do after London as well. There's plenty of time."