For British triathlete Lauren Steadman, achieving a podium finish at the 2024 Paralympic Games was especially significant: the bronze medallist lives with Long COVIDwhich made his journey to Paris particularly challenging.
In March, the 31-year-old fell ill with COVID while traveling home from a canceled race in Abu Dhabi. The virus severely affected her breathing and sidelined her from training for several weeks, according to Tri247and its effects persisted. “COVID attacked my central nervous system and I’ve had COVID for a long time,” she said. BBC Sportt in July.
Steadman was only cleared by doctors to run again six weeks before the Paralympics. At the time, Steadman said BBC Sport She didn’t feel ready for Paris, but her team was working on a plan to get her ready.
That made getting to the starting line at the Paralympics all the more impressive. During the race on September 2, Steadman found herself in a tight battle with British teammate Claire Cashmore and American Grace Norman in the swim and bike portion of the women’s PTS5 paratriathlon, until the Team USA standout pulled away in the race. Cashmore finished second, and Steadman took bronze. (The PTS5 classification is for mild impairments in which amputees can use approved prosthetics or other assistive devices in the cycling and running segments.)
“I had no expectations today. COVID threw a huge spanner in the works for me. If I had told you I was going to have a tough race a few months ago, I would have been in bed for two days,” she told Tri247. “Just to be on the start line.” [today] It was fantastic.”
According to the CDCLong COVID is a chronic condition that occurs after the initial COVID infection and symptoms last for at least three months. People with long COVID may experience fatigue, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and difficulty concentrating, among other symptoms. People may often feel worse after physical exertion.
After his bronze win, Steadman said Paralympics GB She was still dealing with long COVID after being diagnosed six months ago, which made the podium even more special.
“It took everything I had to be there,” she told the national governing body. “And I wasn’t sure if I would be on the podium, so I just wanted to take home a medal for GB Paralympics.”
Coming into the Paralympics as the defending champion also made preparation more difficult, but Steadman’s experience, including a long-awaited return to sport after struggling with a slump following the Tokyo Paralympics — ended up helping her change her mindset for the race in Paris.
“I wish I had been 10 times stronger yesterday, but actually when I was lying in bed feeling so unwell, it kind of put everything into perspective because I’m still going to get it, I’m going to do my best that day, and I just didn’t want to let everyone down at home,” she told Paralympics GB.
Now with three Paralympic medals highlighting a legendary career, Steadman said BBC Radio Manchester that Paris would likely be her last Summer Games. She plans to continue her PhD at the University of Portsmouth, where she studies the mental health of athletes. She also hopes to qualify for the 2026 Milan Winter Paralympics in cross-country skiing.
“I think it’s a good time to give up when you’re really happy and you’re enjoying something, so I love triathlon, I love cycling, but maybe not to the same standard of performance that I normally have,” she told the BBC.
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