PARKER Lauren

Australia
Triathlon
15 Dec 1988
32
Female
PTWC1
 
Australia
NEWCASTLE, NSW
 
Australia

Events and Medals

Discipline Event Rank Medal
TRI Triathlon Women's PTWC 2 Silver Medal

Schedule

Change
Start Time Location Event Status
Odaiba Marine Park
Women's PTWC
Finished

Biographical Information

Highlights

:
RankEventYearLocationResult
World Championships
1PTWC2019Lausanne, SUI1:18:41
3PTWC2018Gold Coast, QLD, AUS1:12:44
Commonwealth Games
3PTWC2018Gold Coast, QLD, AUS1:13:48
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Athlete
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English
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Dan Atkins
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She has also competed in Para cycling at national level in Australia. (Facebook page, 05 Feb 2021)
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During her able-bodied triathlon career, she sustained multiple broken bones and eight stress fractures. (sirensport.com.au, 25 Aug 2020)
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She took up triathlon in 2008 under coach Aaron Lean at Multisport Solutions in Australia. She transitioned to Para triathlon after her accident in 2017. (manaseg.com, 20 Jul 2021; laurenparkerblog.wordpress.com, 18 May 2015)
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Having competed in able-bodied triathlon, she wanted to continue pursuing the sport after her accident. "I found out that it was possible for me to get back into my sport that I once loved, in triathlon. I think that really saved me and it gave me something to work towards." (manaseg.com, 20 Jul 2021)
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To compete at the 2024 and 2028 Paralympic Games. (sirensport.com.au, 25 Aug 2020; paralympic.org, 15 Jun 2020)
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"Every day is different. On a Monday, I start off with a bike session [for] a couple of hours. Then I have a break. Then I'll do a midday session, normally a swim. And then in the late afternoon, a gym session or another bike session. So that's on a Monday. And then Tuesday, I've got a run session and a swim session. So it just depends on what day it is. But I can train up to six hours a day, some days." (sirensport.com.au, 25 Aug 2020)
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Winning gold in the women's PTWC event at the 2019 World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. "That day was such an incredible day crossing the finish line in first place. It brought back memories of what I've been through in the years prior, overcoming my accident and the obstacles I had to go through and the hard work I've put in. It made everything worthwhile." (manaseg.com, 20 Jul 2021)
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Australian triathlete Brad Fernley, US triathlete Siri Lindley, British triathletes Chrissie Wellington and Laura Siddall. (paralympic.org.au, 01 Jan 2019)
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"I'm only happy when I'm training and racing. Outside of that, life in a chair, what you have to deal with - yeah, people don't understand what spinal cord injuries actually do to a person. My goal is empower people in their own lives, and give them a sense of hope." (9news.com.au, 01 Apr 2018)
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She won the Comeback of the Year Award at the 2019 Women's Health Women in Sport Awards in Australia. (NSW Institute of Sport Facebook page, 17 Oct 2019)

She won the Outstanding Achievement Award at the 2018 New South Wales Institute of Sport Awards in Australia. (NSW Institute of Sport Facebook page, 15 Nov 2018)

General Interest

Classification
PTWC (World Triathlon, 25 Jun 2021)

Type of Impairment
Spinal Cord Injuries (manaseg.com, 20 Jul 2021)

Origin of Impairment
Acquired (manaseg.com, 20 Jul 2021)

Impairment Details
While training for an Ironman triathlon in 2017 she sustained a spinal cord injury in a cycling accident. She also suffered a punctured lung, broken scapula, broken back, broken pelvis, and broken ribs. She is paralysed from the waist down. (manaseg.com, 20 Jul 2021; World Triathlon YouTube channel, 28 Sep 2018; 9news.com.au, 01 Apr 2018; triathlon.org, 15 Jan 2018)

General
TRANSITION TO PARA TRIATHLON
Less than a year after her accident, she won a bronze medal in the women's PTWC event at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, QLD, Australia. "Para triathlon is quite different to able-bodied triathlon. I had to get used to using a handcycle for the bike and really get used to using my arms for everything. It was so surreal to be on that start line at the Commonwealth Games 11 months after my accident. A lot of people then told me that I was inspirational. At first, I didn't really get it why I was inspirational. But after hearing people's stories, and how they overcame something major in their lives based on my life story, that really gave me a sense that I'm helping others." (manaseg.com, 20 Jul 2021; World Triathlon YouTube channel, 28 Sep 2018; triathlon.org, 15 Jan 2018)

HANDCYCLING
She set a goal of making the Australian cycling team for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo after she began handcycling more during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. She competed in the Australian national Para cycling championships in early 2021. "The handcycle [is] my strongest leg [of the triathlon], I really enjoy it." (Cycling NSW Facebook page, 20 Jul 2021; NSW Institute of Sport Facebook page, 11 Feb 2021; sirensport.com.au, 25 Aug 2020; triathlon.org, 19 Jun 2020)

SURGERY
Having undergone spinal surgery following her accident, she required a further operation in 2018 due to fluid build-up in her spine. "I got increasing symptoms over a seven-week period. It slowly became worse, so I decided to get an MRI [scan] done and it came straight back that it was fluid in my spinal cord that travelled up my neck. It's scary to know that if I had waited another four weeks and I didn't go and get it checked, I could have become a quadriplegic." (paralympic.org, 15 Jun 2020; abc.net.au, 14 Sep 2018)

Legend
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Silver Medal
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Gold Medal Event
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Silver Medal Event
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Bronze Medal Event
Content 1 (removed through CDN)
Content 2 (removed through CDN).
Timing and scoring provided by OMEGA. Results powered by Atos