Portsmouth Paralympic hero Lauren Steadman made MBE in Queen's New Year's Honours
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The Portsmouth-based sporting champion said she was blown away by the news, which she said was ‘on a par’ with her gold medal at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Paralympic games.
Lauren clinched victory in the PTS5 Triathlon event in a time of one hour four minutes 46 seconds, an upgrade from her silver medal won in Rio 2016.
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Hide AdShe has since been recognised by the Queen for her services to triathlon, as well as being an idol for other young disabled athletes.
Speaking to The News, Lauren said she was blown away by the accolade, which comes just days after her 29th birthday.
She said: ‘I received the call while on the train home with my dad and this lovely lady told me about my MBE. I just sat there for a bit. It was mesmerizing and humbling.
‘It’s absolutely fantastic. I’m delighted. I feel truly humbled and honoured. That really is the only way to say it.’
She added: ‘Hands down this is on par with my gold.’
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Hide AdLauren is a four-time Paralympian, having debuted in her first Paralympics in 2008 aged 15 as a swimmer.
She trained for much of her career in Portsmouth and is a graduate of the city’s university.
She made it to the final of both the 100m and 400m freestyle S9 at London 2012.
However, since switching disciplines to the triathlon, Lauren has been hugely successful becoming a podium regular since her silver at Rio in 2016, winning five gold medals in five major events she entered in 2018.
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Hide AdShe extended her gold medal tally in 2019 during the Tokyo ITU Paratriathlon World Cup.
Lauren said she hoped to use her new MBE status to continue to ‘give back’ to sport and inspire other young athletes.
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