Paralympic champ Cooke's medals stolen

Australian Paralympic champion Carol Cooke is "gutted" her two gold medals won at the Rio Games have been stolen.

The Australian para-cyclist of the year says the medals were taken from her car parked outside the Victorian Institute of Sport in Melbourne early on Wednesday after thieves smashed through a window.

Cooke had been showing off the medals at various promotional events.

"The medals are medals. They're not the end of the world," Cooke told AAP.

"But I share those medals with everybody I speak too, especially school kids.

"I'm not one of these athletes that puts them away. I take them with me and pass them around."

The 55-year-old took gold in the women's T1-2 road race in Rio a month ago and also defended her London 2012 crown in the 15km T1-2 road time trial.

The Canadian-born former undercover police officer was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1998 and has been in a wheelchair since 2001.

"I'm just gutted that they're gone," she said.

"They're priceless."