World champion Steadman claims silver Paralympic medal
World champion Lauren Steadman insists she won’t ponder what might have been following her silver medal in the women’s triathlon PT4 at the Paralympic Games in Rio.
Steadman made her Paralympic debut as a swimmer eight years ago but has blossomed since switching sports, also winning the European title a few weeks ago in Portugal.
However, a tactical error in the swim - when she missed a buoy and had to swim an additional 25 metres - made the race even more difficult.
In the end her time of 1:11.43 was over a minute behind American gold medallist Grace Norman but Steadman, 23, admitted the error took its toll. She said:
“I went a bit wrong on the swim and I’m really gutted because it cost me about 40 seconds. I managed to get back into second by the end of the swim and I made a lot of effort on the bike and that really drained me. When I got onto the run it was just about trying to hang on to silver.
“I still had a great race and I’m really pleased with my effort. I didn’t even make the finals in Beijing. I made the finals in London but didn’t make the medals, so this is the icing on the cake, finally getting my hands on a medal after all that time."
ParalympicsGB team-mate Faye McClelland came fourth, 37 seconds behind American bronze medallist Gladys Lemossu. She said:
“It was a solid race and a good performance. My legs were like jelly on that run but I held my position but I just couldn’t close Gladys down. It’s a bit gutting to come fourth but I can’t be disappointed with the way I performed.”
But for Clare Cunningham - who made her Paralympic debut 24 years ago as a swimmer in Barcelona - just making the line-up proved a moving experience. After finishing seventh, the 39-year old said:
“I came out the swim in fourth place but I found the bike and run pretty hard in the conditions. I gave it my best shot. I was pretty emotional at the start and trying to take in the moment. Two months ago I didn’t think I was coming here, so I’ve tried to appreciate the experience.”
Alison Patrick, with guide Hazel Smith, and Melissa Reid, with guide Nicole Waters, claimed silver and bronze in the women’s PT5 race.
Australia’s Katie Kelly dominated the race to win gold, crossing the line over minute ahead of her nearest rivals.
But Patrick, the two-time world champion, come home in silver while ParalympicsGB team-mate Reid, a bronze medallist at the recent World Championships, finished 47 seconds behind in third.
