Defending Women’s PTS5 Paralympic Champion Lauren Steadman looks to defend her title this year in Paris, in what will be her fifth Paralympic Games. A medal this summer will be her third as a paratriathlete after winning a silver medal in Rio before becoming Paralympic Champion in Tokyo.
Her paratriathlon career started in 2011 as she claimed second place in the ITU World Championship Series London. She raced twice in 2012 and finished fifth in the World Championships just five days after she won a silver medal in the World Aquathlon (swim, run) Championships. The following year she won the British and European Championships before finishing second in the World Championships.
She retained the European title in 2014 and won her first world title winning in Canada. Those medals were joined by wins in London and Madrid at World Triathlon Para events. In 2015 she went the whole season unbeaten as she won a third straight European Championship, retained her World Championship crown and won the Test Event for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
In her first Paralympic Games as a paratriathlete, Lauren won a silver medal to go with another European title. She missed out on winning three major medals with a DNF in the World Championships. She returned to the world championship podium the following year and won a fifth straight European title. Lauren was never off the top step of the podium in 2018 winning five races in a row including the European and World Championships.
Major Results
Valencia was the site of her seventh straight European title after she won a silver medal at the World Championships just 13 days earlier. 2021 saw Lauren make a fourth Paralympic Games as she stood on the top step of the podium in Tokyo, also taking gold in Leeds earlier that year.
She then took a break from the sport, returning with a silver medal at 2023 World Triathlon Para Cup Besancon before winning a bronze medal at the world championships in Spain. She ended the season winning at World Triathlon Para Cup Malaga.
