Lauren Parker

Lauren Parker (born 15 December 1988) is an Australian para-triathlete and para-cyclist. She won a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.[1] She has won multiple World Triathlon Championships in Women's PTWC.

Lauren Parker
Lauren Parker in 2019
Personal information
NationalityAustralian
Born (1988-12-15) 15 December 1988
Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Sport
SportParatriathlon
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Women's paratriathlon
Summer Paralympics
Silver medal – second place2020 TokyoPTWC
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 LausannePTWC
Bronze medal – third place2018 Gold CoastPTWC
Gold medal – first place2021 Abu DhabiPTWC
Gold medal – first place2022 Abu DhabiPTWC
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place2018 Gold CoastPTWC
Women's para-cycling
Gold medal – first place2023 GlasgowRoad time trial H3
Silver medal – second place2023 GlasgowRoad race H3

Personal life

Parker was born on 15 December 1988 in Belmont, New South Wales.[2] She lives in Newcastle, New South Wales.

Paratriathlon

Before having to transition to paratriathlon as a result of a serious training accident in April 2017, Parker was a successful triathlete.[3] She took up triathlon at the age of 18 after being a successful junior swimmer.[2] At the 2015 Ironman World Championship in Kona she finished second in the Women's 25–29 Age Group.[4]

The training accident left Parker with a punctured lung, broken ribs, shoulder blade and pelvis, and damaged spinal cord. She spent six months in hospital and spinal rehabilitation unit. She turned to paratriathlon and competes in the PTWC-class for wheelchair athletes. After three months training, she won the bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Queensland.[5]

At the 2020 Summer Paralympics Parker fished second and won the Silver medal with a time of 1:06.26.[6] She was just 0.01 of a second behind the Gold medal winner Kendall Gretsch of the United States.

Major PTWC-class international paratriathlon results:[7]

  • 2018 – OTU Paratriathlon Oceania Championship, St Kilda Melbourne – 2nd place
  • 2018 – ITU Paratriathlon World Cup, Devonport – 2nd place
  • 2018 – Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast – Bronze medal
  • 2018 – ITU World Paratriathlon Series Yokohama – 2nd place
  • 2018 – ITU Paratriathlon World Cup, Besancon – 1st place
  • 2018 – ITU World Paratriathlon Series, Iseo Franciacorta – 1st place
  • 2018 – ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Gold Coast – Bronze medal
  • 2019 – ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Lausanne – Gold medal[8]
  • 2020 – Summer Paralympic Games, Tokyo – Silver medal -Women's PTWC[9]
  • 2021 – ITU World Triathlon Championship Series, Abu Dhabi – Gold medal – Women's PTWC
  • 2022 – ITU World Triathlon Championship Series, Abu Dhabi – Gold medal – Women's PTWC

Parker is coached by Dan Atkins.

Para cycling

In her first major international para cycling event, Parker won the gold medal in the Women's Time Trial H3 and the silver medal in the Women's Road Race H3 at the 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Glasgow.[10]


Recognition
  • 2018 – New South Wales Institute of Sport Ian Thorpe OAM Outstanding Achievement Award for having come back from a horrific training accident the previous year to qualify, compete and win bronze at the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games.[11]
  • 2018 – Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability[12]
  • 2018 – Triathlon Australia Chris Hewitt Emerging Athlete Award.[13]
  • 2019 – Australian Women's Health Sport Awards Comeback of the Year.[14]
  • 2019 – New South Wales Institute of Sport Ian Thorpe OAM Outstanding Achievement Award recognised Parker's ongoing battle to overcome her tragic training accident in 2017, with the paratriathlete ending the 2019 season as a world champion.[15]
  • 2019 – Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability.[16]
  • 2021 - Triathlon Australia Performance of the Year[17]
  • 2021 - Triathlon Australia Para-triathlon Female Performance of the Year[17]
  • 2021 - Triathlon Australia Athlete's Athlete of the Year [17]
  • 2022 - Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability.[18]
  • 2022 - Triathlon Australia Performance of the Year[17]
  • 2022 - Triathlon Australia Para-triathlon Female Performance of the Year [17]

References
  1. "World-Class Para-Triathletes Confirmed For Tokyo 2020". Paralympics Australia. 19 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  2. "Lauren Parker". Commonwealth Games Australia website. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  3. Cernuda, Olalla. "Lauren Parker, from elite triathlete to elite paratriathlete in nine months". International Triathlon Union website. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  4. "Four Asia-Pacific Age Groupers Kings of Kona". AP.ironman website. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  5. "Lauren Parker claims bronze in first major paratriathlon". ESPN. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  6. "Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2021". The Roar. Retrieved 28 June 2022.
  7. "Lauren Parker". International Triathlon Union website. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  8. "Parker crowned World Champion in Lausanne". Triathlon Australia. 2 September 2019. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  9. "Lauren Parker". Tokyo Paralympics Official Results. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  10. "Australian Lauren Parker wins world para-cycling championship as Paris Paralympics loom on the horizon". ABC News. 10 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  11. "NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Awards celebrate the best of 2018". New South Wales Institute of Sport website. Retrieved 18 November 2018.
  12. "Fox and Parker Headline NSW Sports Awards Success". Sport NSW website. Retrieved 28 November 2018.
  13. "Chris Hewitt Emerging Athlete of the Year". Triathlon Australia website. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  14. "The Winners Of The 2019 Women In Sport Awards". The Australian Women's Health. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  15. "Olympic Champions Take Top Honours at NSWIS Awards". NSW Institute of Sport website. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
  16. Phillips, Sam (18 November 2019). "Perry named NSW Athlete of the Year hours after sour shoulder diagnosis". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 19 November 2019.
  17. "Triathlon's Finest Honoured At Celebration Of Champions Awards". Triathlon Australia. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  18. "Gilmour And Parker Clinch Nsw Sports Award Hat-Trick". Sport NSW. 28 November 2022. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
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