World Championship bronze for Steadman from Sawtry

Steadman, from Sawtry, competes in the women’s PTS5 category and was on the start line with compatriot Claire Cashmore and American Grace Norman, the two athletes she shared the Tokyo podium with two years ago.

The next Paralympics take place in Paris, France next year when Steadman is expected to defend her title.

Ahead of them was a 750m swim, 19.7km bike and 5km run, with Steadman coming out of the water in third place behind Cashmore.

Onto the bike and the British duo were soon battling with Norman, all three trading places around the roads of Pontevedra in North West Spain.

It was on the final discipline, the run, when they started to string out with the American showing her strength to leave the two Brits to battle for second and third. Cashmore finished the stronger to see Steadman claim bronze as part of her return to racing following a break in 2022.

After the race, Steadman said: “This might be up there with my favourite races. I’ve had a really tough year mentally, not sure about the love of swim, bike, run, that’s why I took the break [in 2022], and it has come back.

“At the moment I’ve done no triathlon-specific training as my only goal from my coach and British Triathlon was to stay happy, stay fit, stay strong, and stay injury free, so to come third in the worlds having not really focussed too much on triathlon - I’m due to get back into very specific training for Paris in the next nine months – excites me so I can build on a third place and that I know there’s so much more to come.

“It was really great to be out there and good to just to have a base line of where I can progress moving forwards.

“For me, I rocked up to a race a while back in the UK, and I think it always reminds me of just how strong we are. We are maybe missing a foot or missing our arms, but our category is so strong, and we’re up there with people that have all their limbs, and I feel excessively proud when I look at the journey I’ve had as a child coming forward, and I guess just pushing my boundaries and limits.

“We got onto the run and it was like, you just don’t know which way it’s going to go. I mean Grace is flying at the moment on the run, but I’m super excited to get dug in deep to some parkruns and bring my run forward. I want to come out like an absolute tornado for Paris. I have a title to defend and I won’t be going down easy.”