Lauren Parker has been selected for the triathlon and road cycling events at the 2024 Paris Paralympics. However, the journey hasn’t been easy for Lauren Parker; a tragic accident changed her overall competitive style.
Previously, in 2017, Lauren Parker had a deadly accident where the doctors revealed that her chance of walking again was aero or one percent.
The then 29-year-old athlete was preparing for the local Ironman competition when a tire on her bike, which was traveling at 45 km/h, burst, causing her to crash into the guard railing.
The accident left Parker with a punctured lung, broken ribs, shoulder blades, and pelvis, and a damaged spinal cord. Even her medical team revealed that the chances of her survival were low.
Reminiscing about the tragic period, Parker claimed, “I just couldn’t accept it then and even now, I still fail to accept it. It was frustrating, not just physically but emotionally too, it was draining.“
However, the significant injury didn’t falter the athlete’s spirits as she rose above the tragedy by attending rehabilitation programs. Later, Parker challenged herself to join a triathlon while attending a radio show from her hospital bed.
Likewise, her coach revealed that the change in her body structure forced Parker to reshape her style on land and in the water after the accident. Meanwhile, the techniques have been fruitful for Lauren Parker, who won a gold medal at the Paralympics.
Lauren Parker has a strong attitude towards life, strengthened by her unfortunate life events!
After her accident, Parker had lost all hope until her trainer encouraged her to lower herself into the pool for body rehabilitation, which took months to show visible effects.
Moreover, Fernley’s motivational talk convinced the athlete that she still had a sporting career ahead of her despite being paraplegic.
Soon, Parker returned to routine training, revealing, “I’ve had to adapt a few things with my bike seating and how I support myself. I’m needing more support in certain areas where I wouldn’t have been before.“
Before her accident, Parker was a successful triathlete. She took up the sport at 18 after being a successful junior swimmer, finishing second in the Ironman World Championship Women’s 25-29 age group in 2015.
Following such elaborate surgeries, the athlete participated in the Tokyo Paralympics, where she finished second and won the silver medal with just a 0.01-second interval with her opponent, Kendall Gretsch.
Despite facing several failures and complications, Parker showed her strong attitude towards the sports as she continued to refine her skills for the Paris event.
In a recent competition, Parker led the field for the triathlon event and crossed the finish line more than one minute ahead of her nearest rival, winning a gold medal.
With such evidence of her willpower, many have been influenced by Parker as one of the Twitter users remarked, “200% respect to you all! Pure heroes!!!“
Additional Information
- Born on December 15, 1988, Lauren Parker grew up in Belmont, New South Wales, before moving to Newcastle in her teens.
- Lauren Parker had a major international para-cycling event in Glasgow, where she won the gold medal in the Women’s Time Trial H3.
