A WORLD champion rower from Bromsgrove is going for gold again in the upcoming Tokyo paralympic games.
Lauren Rowles, developed transverse myelitis, which affects the nerve cells around the spinal cord, when she was 13.
However the 23 year old has never let her disability define her and smashed the Rio Paralympics with her rowing partner Laurence Whiteley in the trunk-arms mixed double sculls.
The pair stormed to victory and are now he reigning Paralympic, World and European champions in the event.
Lauren said: "These Games are about putting in a performance that nobody's ever seen before. We've been building a legacy over the last five years now.
“Laurence and I are one of the longest standing partnerships in Paralympic rowing in and what we did in Rio was incredible, but now we want to go on and do better than that.
“We want to go out there and prove that we're not defined by our disabilities, and I guess in a way put out a performance that you would look at and go that's not a Paralympic boat.
“I think what we're trying to go out there and do is not only retain our Paralympic title, and try and win for a second time, but also to go out there and produce a performance that nobody's ever seen before in this field.”
In the last year, Lauren has become increasingly vocal about celebrating her disability and sexuality.
She added: “My team were some of the first people I ever came out to as I knew that they would be so accepting.
“Don't get me wrong, it was scary. Having been on the team for so long and revealing this part of your personality that nobody knew was scary.
“I have such an incredible support network around me of people who will back me up if I get hate on social media. They will be there in the comments section backing me up!
“I think the biggest thing for me now is that I want to be there for the young kids that might be going through the same thing and worrying about coming out to their friends or to their family, or just being who they want to be authentically whoever they are.”
Lauren is one of over 1,000 athletes on UK Sport’s National Lottery-funded world class programme which allows her to train full-time, and access coaches and benefit from pioneering technology, science and medical support.
National Lottery players have raised around £36 million each week for good causes.
To discover the positive impact playing the National Lottery has on sport at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk and get involved by using the hashtags: #TNLAthletes #TracktoTokyo
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