After a delayed start due to water contamination, the Australian triathlete, who has paraplegia, led the charge in the Seine River and down the Champs-Elysees to take the gold she lost in Tokyo.
Australia’s Lauren Parker has exacted revenge to be win the women’s triathlon at the Paralympics in Paris, comfortably stealing the crown from the USA’s Kendall Gretsch.
But Parker had been unbeatable ever since, winning three world titles. In Paris, Parker dominated the entire race to win in one hour, six minutes and 23 seconds – more than a minute ahead of Gretsch. The 35-year-old then held her lead throughout the 20-kilometre hand-cycle snaking through historic Parisian streets, including the famed, cobbled Champs-Elysees, and a five-kilometre wheelchair-run to finish.
The triathlon was due to kick off on Sunday in Paris, but it was postponed at 4am that morning following an emergency meeting of event officials. “Every now and then it would come into my mind not to swallow water or stuff like that, but it didn’t feel bad,” Parker said.“The sun was in your eyes, and you couldn’t see anything,” she said.
Parker is the first Australian athlete since 1992 to compete in two different sports in the one Games. The last Paralympic athlete to win gold in two different sports for Australia was Eric Russell in 1976.Parker has been open about her mental health struggles, and she lives with chronic neuropathic pain from her chest down to her feet.
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