Lauren Parker

Lauren Parker was an elite triathlete until 2017, when a catastrophic training crash left her paralysed from the waist down.

She directed her talents to para-triathlon, competing in the PTWC class for wheelchair athletes. Parker quickly found success, winning a Commonwealth Games bronze medal on the Gold Coast in 2018.

In 2019, Parker became the PTWC world champion for the first time – a title she won again in 2021, 2022 and 2023. She has also won three Ironman World Championships in her category.

In 2021, the Novocastrian made her Paralympic debut, winning silver in the para-triathlon.

After the Tokyo Games, Parker set her sights on qualifying for the next Paralympics in two sports, adding para-cycling to her para-triathlon program.

In 2023, she made her international para-cycling debut for Australia at a UCI World Cup round in Belgium. She started at the top, winning gold in the H3 individual time trial.

A few months later, Parker became a dual-sport world champion, winning gold in the H3 individual time trial at the UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Scotland. Her rainbow jersey was accompanied by a silver medal in the road race.

At the start of 2024, Parker continued her winning ways with a clean sweep in the Adelaide round of the UCI World Cup. On home soil, Parker won the H3 time trial, H3 road race and mixed team relay with the ARA Australian Cycling Team.

She repeated the feat at the next World Cup round in Ostend, Belgium, winning all three events again.

This flawless build-up culminated in an incredible performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Not only did she compete in two sports, Parker became the first Australian athlete in nearly 50 years to win a gold medal in two sports at the same Paralympic Games.

In Paris, Parker won the PTWC para-triathlon before soloing to victory in the H1-4 cycling road race. She also claimed the silver medal in the H1-3 individual time trial and was honoured as Australia's flag-bearer at the closing ceremony.

She rounded out a phenomenal year by winning the UCI World Championship silver medal in the H3 individual time trial.