Peterborough has been the birthplace of several medal-winning athletes, but the endeavours of Paralympian Lauren Steadman stand out. Born in Peterborough on 18th December 1992, Lauren remained close to the city during her primary education, attending Great Gidding Primary School near Sawtry before attending school in Devon. It was before she had even started school, aged 4, that her interest in swimming began, becoming a passion that would lead her to Paralympic success.
Lauren was born without the lower half of her right arm and competes in the PTS5 category. She first competed for Great Britain as a swimmer at the age of 15, but showed talent across other disciplines and now competes as a Paratriathlete in international competitions, incorporating her love of swimming with cycling and running.
Steadman has her eyes set on the Tokyo Paralympics and hopes to add a gold medal to the silver she won at the Rio Paralympic games in 2016. She has won a total of 21 gold medals and 6 silvers in international competitions around the world including the European Championships, World Championships and in the World Paratriathlon Series, making her the most successful athlete from Peterborough.
Lauren gained a First Class degree in Psychology and Masters in Business in between training and competing, proving she is hard-working in all areas of her life. She also followed in the footsteps of Peterborough-born Louis Smith and Aston Merrygold to take part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2018, sadly being eliminated in the semi-finals. She visited Winyates Primary School in 2019 to kick start the Daily Mile project in schools.
August 2021 - Tokyo Olympics
Lauren Steadman won Paralympic gold in the PTS5 triathlon. She beat the 2016 winner American Grace Norman by 41 seconds in a nail biting race that saw the competitors struggle through intense heat and humidity. Her team mate Claire Cashmore came in Bronze medal place and George Peasgood in Silver position in the men's race.
References:
Laurensteadman.co.uk (accessed 26 April 2021)
Lauren Steadman, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... (accessed 26 April 2021)
Lauren Steadman, British Triathlon, https://www.britishtriathlon.o... (accessed 26 April 2021)
The Newsroom, Peterborough Strictly Come Dancing Star Lauren Steadman Launches Fitness Scheme at City Schools, Peterborough Telegraph, 8 March 2019 https://www.peterboroughtoday.... (accessed 26 April 2021)
BBC News 29/08/2021 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/di...
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