Paralympics 2024: ‘Horrific pain’: Australia’s bravest athlete completes golden dream

Three years after being painfully pipped at the line in Tokyo, Australia’s bravest athlete prevailed in Paris taking out gold despite being in ‘neuropathic pain’ throughout the race.

PARIS, FRANCE - SEPTEMBER 02: Lauren Parker of Team Australia looks on after winning in the Women's PTWC Para Triathlon on day five of the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympic Games at Pont Alexandre III on September 02, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)

Even in her greatest moment of triumph, Lauren Parker was still in excruciating pain.

So she did what she always does, she  just gritted her teeth and flashed a cheeky smile that let everyone know it didn’t matter because this was her happy day.

Perhaps Australia’s bravest athlete, Parker ended three years of sporting torment when she won gold in her triathlon classification at the Paris Paralympics.

Leading from start to finish, the 35-year-old turned the tables on her great American rival Kendall Gretsch to claim victory in one of the most heartwarming results witnessed in the City of Love over the past month.

Three years ago, at the last Paralympics in Tokyo, Gretsch stormed home over the final bike leg to pip Parker right on the line, but she couldn’t catch the Aussie this time as she opened up a commanding lead after the swim leg and stayed out in front.

“I feel absolutely amazing. I can’t believe I was able to do it,” Parker said.

Lauren Parker completed her redemption in Paris. Picture: Getty Images

“It’s been a long journey to get here and I couldn’t be more proud and more happy to get the gold medal.

“After getting second in Tokyo by less than a second, that’s been a big driving force over the last three years in every single day, through every single training session.”

An elite able-bodied athlete before her life was tipped upside down, Parker has been paralysed from the waist down since 2017 when she was involved in a horrific training accident while out riding her bike.

She was thrown into a metal guard rail where she suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs and multiple other fractures.

Lauren Parker was beaten by the slimmest of margins in Tokyo. Picture: AFP

Lucky to survive, doctors told her she would never walk again after she damaged her spinal cord, leaving her in constant pain that never ends.

“I am in pain, my chest down to my feet, neuropathic pain,” she said.

“Right now, I am in horrific pain with the nerve pain everywhere through my body. Even when I am racing I still have that pain.

“But no matter how much pain I put myself through in sport, it’s not as bad as the nerve pain.”

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Parker has never shied away from saying how important sport is to her wellbeing, both physically and mentally. She has three tattoos that serve as a permanent reminder to never give up when things get really grim.

The most recent, which she got inked six months ago, says simply “She’s unbreakable,”

“I’ve been through a lot of things in my life. It’s just about being an overcomer and adapting and then looking at the positives,” she said.

“For me, I want to inspire as many people as possible through what I’ve been through.

Lauren Parker was in horrific pain throughout the event. Picture: Getty Images

“No matter what you’ve been through in life, you can always have success and anything is possible if you keep believing and you keep working hard.”

Unlike most elite athletes, who rarely announce their goals for fear of jinxing themselves, Parker also let everyone know exactly what she wanted to achieve in Paris.

And although she won easily, not everything went to plan. She badly injured herself after another bike accident in the lead up to France then had to wait an extra 24 hours for her race because the River Seine got too polluted after two days of rain, forcing organisers to postpone it.

Gold for Lauren Parker. Picture: Getty Images

“I don’t know if I’ve swum in worse places and when I was swimming out there, every now and then it would come into my mind not to swallow water…but it wasn’t too bad,” she said.

“It’s been a big build up. I’ve said ever since Tokyo that I want to get gold at Paris and that I’m going to get gold at Paris.

“I put a lot of pressure on myself, but just putting it out there for the last three years has made me work even harder.”

Parker isn’t done yet, not by a long way.

She has also entered two cycling events in Paris - the road race and the individual time trials - and just the like triathlon, she’s got her heart set on the top prize.

“I’ve been preparing for this. I’ve got a one-day break and then the cycling events. I am really looking forward to the challenge,” she said.

“My arms are a bit fatigued, so I’ve got to focus on my recovery now.

“I’ve worked hard to qualify for the cycling events and it’s what I love. The goal is to get the three gold medals.”

Originally published as Paralympics 2024: ‘Horrific pain’: Australia’s bravest athlete completes golden dream