When Leanne Taylor crossed the finish line at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris on Monday, she embraced her husband, who was her personal handler at the games.
“I didn’t really believe it at first. When I crossed the finish line ... I had to double check with him,” recalled Taylor in an interview. “I got third? He said, ‘Yep, we did it.’”
The former Wasaga Beach resident took home the bronze medal on Sept. 2, and is now the first Canadian woman ever to win a Paralympic triathlon medal.
“The experience was absolutely wild,” said Taylor. “The course is iconic. We swam in the Seine River and biked on the Champs-Élysées.”
Going into the games, Taylor was ranked fourth in the world in triathlon. She graduated from Our Lady of the Bay Catholic High School (formerly Jean Vanier Catholic High School), and currently trains and lives in Winnipeg with her husband.
After a biking accident in 2018, Taylor was left with spinal cord injuries that left her paralyzed from the waist down. While in the hospital, she decided she was going to become a para-triathlete. She competed in her first race eight months later.
A para-triathlon starts with a 750-metre swim, followed by a 20-kilometre cycle and then a five-kilometre run.
For the mass start, para-triathletes start in the water from a floating platform.
About 25 members of Taylor’s friends and family made the trip to Paris to cheer her on.
“They were so loud on the course. It was super incredible,” said Taylor. “It was a tough journey in a sport like para-triathlon. To finish in that way, in such a beautiful course in front of my friends and family, it made the whole thing worth it.”
Winning gold and silver in the race were Lauren Parker of Australia and Kendall Gretsch of the United States, respectively.
Taylor said she and her family and friends will be attending a party at the Canadian embassy tonight, and will stay for the duration of the games, which are set to wrap up on Sept. 8. Following that, she’s staying in Italy for a few days to see the sights and visit her sister.
After that, Taylor said she’s getting right back to work preparing for the World Championships in triathlon, slated to take place Oct. 18 in Spain.
“It’s not a long break,” she said with a laugh. “I have something to prove. I’m looking forward to the chance to prove again that I belong in one of those top spots.”
To learn more about Taylor, click here.
— With files from Gisele Winton Sarvis
