FORMER Mount Kelly student and Paralympic gold medal winner Lauren Steadman has been awarded the MBE in the New Year’s Honours List for services to triathlon

Lauren, 29, triumphed in last year’s Tokyo 2020 Paralympics upgrading the silver medal she won in Rio five years earlier.

Lauren’s passion for swimming started at just four years of age and she went on to represent Team GB just 11 years later in her first Paralympic games as a swimmer.

Since then she has specialised in paratriathlon after she was encouraged to switch by her uncle who saw her potential to achieve in all three sports.

Lauren entered her first paratriathlon at the British Championships in 2011, finishing second.

She has taken part in four Paralympic events and comes from a long list of Mount Kelly (Kelly College) alumni who have excelled in sport including Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies.

Lauren is also known for her appearances on TV as a semi finalist in Strictly Come Dancing in 2018 and Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins which she won in 2020.