Manitoban triathlete prepares for Paralympic debut with dreams of gold in Paris

Manitoban triathlete Leanne Taylor is preparing for her Paralympic debut in Paris this year and dreams of bringing home some gold.

Taylor has spent the past six years training for something she once thought was out of her reach.

“I just remember feeling that joy of exercise — like when you get your heart rate up and you’re feeling strong and you feel good, and I just didn’t expect to feel that again as a paraplegic. So it was something I was just so excited about — it felt like coming back home,” she said.

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In 2018, Taylor says she was paralyzed from the waist down after a cycling accident. She says before leaving the hospital, she knew she wanted to get back on a bike and try triathlon and her husband Scott was immediately supportive of her dreams.

“It’s just a dream come true, for something so bad to have happened to Leanne, to have something so positive come from it,” he said.

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Taylor says her husband acts as her handler, helping her transition between each leg of the race and her family travels with her to races and they will be there to support her when she heads to Paris.

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“It was my first career win, and I realized I was gonna make the team from that result. So it was a really exciting way to do it, to come across the line for the very first time in first, at a race in Miami, and then be like, ‘Not only have I won this race, but I’m also going to the games.’ It was a really special moment for me.” she said.

Taylor says training 10 to 20 hours a week has made her determined and confident.

She says she reaches for the gold in every race but this is just the beginning of her Olympic career and she intends to return for the Los Angeles games in 2028.

“It’s a real honour every time you get to put on the maple leaf and wear the kit and represent the country. And to be in Paris in front of my friends and family and kind of on that world stage for the first time, I think it’s going to be pretty extraordinary,” she said.

Carolyn Murray, who coaches all three Canadian paratriathletes going to Paris, says she has a good shot at a medal.

“I couldn’t be more proud of having these three athletes to coach and work with over these years. Each of them has shown that they’re ready for the podium.” Murray said.

— With files from Global’s Katherine Dornian