Lauren Parker Explained

Lauren Parker
Headercolor:	green
Textcolor:	yellow
Nationality:	Australian
Birth Date:	15 December 1988
Birth Place:	Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
Sport:	Paratriathlon

Lauren Parker (born 15 December 1988) is an Australian para-triathlete and para-cyclist. She won a silver medal (triathlon) at the 2020 Summer Paralympics and two gold (triathlon and cycling) and silver (cycling) medals at the 2024 Summer Paralympics.^[1]

She has won multiple World Triathlon Championships in Women's PTWC.

Personal life

Parker was born on 15 December 1988 in Belmont, New South Wales. 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.^[2] She took up triathlon at the age of 18 after being a successful junior swimmer.^[3] 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, Besançon – 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
• 2024 - Summer Paralympic Games, Paris – Gold medal in Women's PTWC^[10]

Parker is coached by Dan Atkins.

Para cycling

• 2023 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Glasgow - 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.^[11]
• 2024 - Summer Paralympic Games, Paris – gold medal in Women's road race H1-4 and silver medal in the Women's road time trial H1-3.

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;^[12] Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability ; Triathlon Australia Chris Hewitt Emerging Athlete Award;^[13]
• 2019 – Australian Women's Health Sport Awards Comeback of the Year;^[14] 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] Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability.^[16]
• 2021 - Triathlon Australia Performance of the Year;^[17] Triathlon Australia Para-triathlon Female Performance of the Year; Triathlon Australia Athlete's Athlete of the Year
• 2022 - Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability;^[18] Triathlon Australia Performance of the Year; Triathlon Australia Para-triathlon Female Performance of the Year
• 2023 - Triathlon Australia Para-triathlon Female Performance of the Year;^[19] Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability,^[20] AIS Sport Performance Awards - Female Para-Athlete of the Year;^[21] AusCycling Women's Road Para-cyclist of the Year^[22]
• 2024 - Flag bearer with James Turner at the Closing Ceremony of the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, France.^[23]
• 2024 - New South Wales Institute of Sport Ian Thorpe AM Outstanding Achievement Award, ^[24] Sport NSW Athlete of the Year with a Disability^[25]
• 2024 - Australian Paralympian of the Year and Australian Female Paralympian of the Year ^[26]
• 2024 - AIS Sport Performance Awards - Female Para-Athlete of the Year and Performance of the Year ^[27]

External links

• • • • Personal website

Notes and References

1. Web site: 19 July 2021. World-Class Para-Triathletes Confirmed For Tokyo 2020. 19 July 2021. Paralympics Australia.
2. Web site: Cernuda . Olalla . Lauren Parker, from elite triathlete to elite paratriathlete in nine months . International Triathlon Union website . 15 January 2018 . 17 September 2018.
3. Web site: Lauren Parker . Commonwealth Games Australia website . 2 April 2018 . 17 September 2018.
4. Web site: Four Asia-Pacific Age Groupers Kings of Kona . AP.ironman website . 17 September 2018.
5. Web site: Lauren Parker claims bronze in first major paratriathlon . 7 April 2018 . ESPN . 17 September 2018.
6. Web site: Australian Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2021 . 2022-06-28 . The Roar.
7. Web site: Lauren Parker . International Triathlon Union website . 17 September 2018.
8. Web site: Parker crowned World Champion in Lausanne. 2 September 2019. Triathlon Australia. 2 September 2019.
9. Web site: Lauren Parker. 27 September 2021. Tokyo 2020 Paralympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. 27 September 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210927000417/https://olympics.com/tokyo-2020/paralympic-games/en/results/triathlon/athlete-profile-n1404416-parker-lauren.htm. dead.
10. Web site: 2024-09-02 . Mission Complete For Seine-sational Parker Paralympics Australia . 2024-09-03 . www.paralympic.org.au . en-AU.
11. Web site: 10 August 2023 . Australian Lauren Parker wins world para-cycling championship as Paris Paralympics loom on the horizon . 10 August 2023 . ABC News.
12. Web site: NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) Awards celebrate the best of 2018 . New South Wales Institute of Sport website . 18 November 2018.
13. Web site: Chris Hewitt Emerging Athlete of the Year. Triathlon Australia website. 2 May 2019.
14. Web site: The Winners Of The 2019 Women In Sport Awards. The Australian Women's Health. 17 October 2019.
15. Web site: Olympic Champions Take Top Honours at NSWIS Awards. NSW Institute of Sport website. 17 November 2019.
16. News: Perry named NSW Athlete of the Year hours after sour shoulder diagnosis. Phillips. Sam. 18 November 2019. The Sydney Morning Herald. 19 November 2019.
17. Web site: 12 December 2022 . Triathlon's Finest Honoured At Celebration Of Champions Awards . 14 December 2022 . Triathlon Australia.
18. Web site: 28 November 2022 . Gilmour And Parker Clinch Nsw Sports Award Hat-Trick . 29 November 2022 . Sport NSW.
19. Web site: Falco . Tom . 2023-11-20 . AusTriathlon Awards 2023: Champions Crowned and Legends Honoured . 2023-11-21 . AusTriathlon.
20. Web site: NSW . Sport . FOX AND PARKER SWEEP NSW SPORTS AWARDS . 2023-11-21 . sportnsw.com.au.
21. Web site: Commission . Australian Sports Commission; jurisdiction=Commonwealth of Australia; corporateName=Australian Sports . Swimming makes a big splash at AIS Performance Awards . 2023-11-29 . Australian Sports Commission . English.
22. Web site: Amanda Reid wins the 2023 AusCycling Cyclist of the Year Award . 2023-12-22 . AusCycling.
23. Web site: 2024-09-08 . The Best Of Australian Sport, Spirit And Character: Aussie Paralympians Bid Fond Farewell To Paris Paralympics Australia . 2024-09-08 . www.paralympic.org.au . en-AU.
24. Web site: NSWIS Awards honour world-beating champions NSW Institute of Sport (NSWIS) . 2024-11-11 . www.nswis.com.au . en.
25. Web site: NSW . Sport . 2024 Champions of Sport winners . 2024-11-26 . www.sportnsw.com.au . en.
26. Web site: Zoe . 2024-11-30 . Australia’s Finest Celebrated At Paralympian Of The Year Awards Paralympics Australia . 2024-12-01 . www.paralympic.org.au . en-AU.
27. Web site: Commission . Australian Sports Commission; jurisdiction=Commonwealth of Australia; corporateName=Australian Sports . Parker’s remarkable Paris performance celebrated at AIS Awards . 2024-12-04 . Australian Sports Commission . English.