Parker’s golden march towards Paris continues

Australia’s Lauren Parker has continued her unbeaten march towards the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, notching a record fourth World Championship title in Pontevedra, Spain over the weekend.

In a stellar day for the Australian women, Anu Francis (PTS2) claimed a stirring silver with former two-time world champion, Sally Pilbeam (PTS4) continuing her stunning comeback towards a Paralympic debut next year, digging deep for the bronze.

Parker, a New South Wales Institute of Sport (NSWIS) scholarship athlete stretched her unbeaten run to 14 since taking the silver behind Kendall Gretsch (USA) at the Tokyo Paralympics, yet again keeping the American at bay, winning by 41 seconds.

In what has already been a remarkable 2023 for the 32-year-old, she not only won her fourth World Paratriathlon title, the most ever by an Australian, but she adds it to her first World Championship in Para Cycling – Parker won the women’s H3 category Time Trial crown in Scotland last month.

Parker is now not only well and truly on track to contest both triathlon and cycling in Paris, but is now sitting in the box seat to contend for the gold medal in both sports.

Last month’s Paris Cup and Test Event winner, South Australian Francis, has maintained her meteoric rise up the ranks as she aims at a Paralympic Games debut with her second-place finish to American star Hailey Danz.

While Western Australian Pilbeam, who has come out of retirement to have a final fling at becoming a Paralympian, adding the bronze to her World titles behind Kelly Elmlinger (USA) and Francis Gomez Marta (Spain).

2023 World Triathlon Para Championships
Lauren Parker (PTWC) – 1st
Anu Francis (PTS2) – 2nd
Sally Pilbeam (PTS4) – 3rd
Justin Godfrey (PTS3) – 5th
Jack Howell (PTS5) – 6th
Liam Twomey (PTS4) – 6th
Jeremy Peacock (PTS4) – 7th
Nic Beveridge (PTWC) – 7th
Sam Harding (PTVI) & Guide David Mainwaring – 7th
Maggie Sandles (PTVI) & Guide Felicity Cradick – 7th
David Bryant (PTS5) – 8th
Thomas Goodman (PTS2) – 9th
Glen Jarvis (PTS2) – 10th

Tom Falco, AusTriathlon