SUGAR Laura

Classification
KL3 (ICF, 23 Sep 2020)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (metro.co.uk, 25 Jun 2013)

Impairment Details
She was born with talipes equinovarus, commonly known as a club foot. (metro.co.uk, 25 Jun 2013)

General
PARA CANOE AND PARA ATHLETICS
After winning a bronze medal at her first Para canoe international competition, the 2019 European Championships in Poznan, Poland, and silver at the 2019 World Championships in Szeged, Hungary, she said she wanted to compete in both canoe sprint and athletics at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. "I've gone from thinking I was going to have a learning year to being competitive and going to the world championships. I joined Para canoeing with the view of competing in these sorts of events in the future, but I've managed to drop about 20 seconds off my original time which is great and I'm really enjoying it. I've had a lot of racing experience with athletics, but it's very different with Para canoeing so the more races I can do, the better I think I can be. I may have to prioritise one [sport] and I know how hard it's going to be just to make the [Paralympic] team, but the ultimate aim is to get there and get a medal - or two medals." (saffronwaldenreporter.co.uk, 15 Aug 2019; irvinetimes.com, 24 Aug 2019)

HOCKEY
Before getting involved in Para sport she competed in able-bodied hockey, and represented Wales in the sport. "Hockey was my main sport. My father was Welsh and I played for them up until the age of 21. I thought this was me and this was my career. But unless you're in the full Great Britain set-up you can't be a full-time [hockey] athlete, you have to pay to play so I became a PE teacher. I had to make the choice of playing for Wales in the European championships or competing for Great Britain in the world Para [athletics] championships and so I reluctantly put hockey on one side to concentrate on my sprinting. It was really hard to leave, but my hockey mates were really supportive." (sportspielonline.com, 05 Jan 2020; sports-insight.co.uk, 27 Oct 2018)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She has served as an ambassador for the Mintridge Foundation, a British charity supporting mental and physical wellbeing in young people, and she has coached in schools. "Coaching in my spare time actually re-energises me. Having things to do away from training helps me keep a balance and an enthusiasm for my sport." (sports-insight.co.uk, 27 Oct 2018)

FURTHER EDUCATION
She has completed a postgraduate diploma in physical education at the University of Birmingham in England. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Nov 2017)