Peterborough’s Paralympic gold medalist hero Lauren Steadman ‘blown away’ by MBE in New Year Honours List

Lauren Steadman with her goal medal. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images).

Steadman, who won triathlon gold in Tokyo, has been given the award for services to the sport.

The 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.

Having won silver in Rio in 2016, Steadman, who is from Peterborough, went one better in the summer and claimed gold in the female PTS5 classification.

Lauren Steadman, from Peterborough, wins gold in the PTS5 - Women event, at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Provided by ParalympicsGB/imagecomms.

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 mesmerising 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.”

Lauren said she hoped to use her new MBE status to continue to ‘give back’ to sport and inspire other young athletes. Just before the Paralympics, she also won gold at AJ Bell 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Leeds in what proved to be a golden 2021 for the 29-year-old.

Steadman is now part of the Portsmouth-based UK and Sport Lottery Funded British Paratriathlon squad and her achievements also include being a triple World Champion (2014, 2015, 2018) and seven-time European Champion (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019).

She took up the sport in 2011 after it was recommended to her by her uncle, who is a triathlete himself. Rio 2016 saw her compete at the Paralympics for the first time in triathlon but she had previously been to the games in Beijing (2008) and London (2012) as a swimmer. She competed in Beijing aged just 15.

She joins fellow triathletes Jess Learmouth, Jonny Brownlee, Georgia Taylor-Brown and Alex Yee in receiving MBEs for their services to Triathlon.

The latter four made up Team GB’s mixed relay team that made history by becoming the first to win mixed relay gold at the Olympic Games.

Speaking on the announcement of the New Year Honours, British Triathlon CEO, Andy Salmon, said: “For the gold medallists from Tokyo to be recognised through the honours system shows the importance that sport plays in our society and how their successes can be felt across the nation, especially given what we’ve all been through over the past two years.

“Lauren and the mixed relay team demonstrated their commitment and excellence to come out on top this summer, with these honours a great way to celebrate their achievement on top of the medals they came home with.

“My sincere congratulations to everyone recognised in the New Year Honours and thank you to those making swim, bike, run an exciting and accessible sport.”