From the summer triathlon circuit to the snow-covered slopes of northern Italy, Lauren Parker's ambitions recognise few boundaries. Seven months after strapping on skis for the first time, the 37-year-old Paralympic gold medallist has been named in Australia's para-biathlon team for the Milano Cortina Winter Paralympic Games, which begin on 6 March.
Parker's journey to the winter programme is as unlikely as it is compelling. For years, she traded blows with American Kendall Gretsch in the para-triathlon, coming second to her rival at the Tokyo Games before finally claiming gold at the 2024 Paris Summer Paralympics. Most athletes would have savoured that victory and rested. Parker started researching cross-country skiing instead.
What makes the story richer still is that it was Gretsch herself who encouraged Parker to take up the sport in which the American has long been dominant. Gretsch holds two gold medals, a silver, and a bronze from the 2018 Pyeongchang and 2022 Beijing Winter Games, and became the first American to medal in a biathlon event at either the Olympic or Paralympic level.
"She's been an amazing support. Like she's excited that I've come across to the sport because they're always wanting new athletes in snow sports, and she's helped me on the snow quite a bit. So, we've got a good friendship outside of racing," Parker said.
Parker was quick to add a note of competitive realism, suggesting Gretsch may come to regret her generosity. "Maybe in four years time she'll be regretting that she started my journey in snow. Maybe in four years time I'll be up to medal contention." It is the kind of quiet self-belief that has defined Parker's career since she sustained a life-altering spinal injury in a cycling accident in 2017.
Parker joins a five-person Australian para-biathlon team that includes Matt Brumby, Dave Miln, Taryn Dickens, and guide Lynn Maree Cullen. Their participation was made possible after Australian sporting authorities successfully petitioned the International Paralympic Committee for two additional bipartite spots, which are allocated to ensure broader national representation at the Games. All five athletes have also qualified for the para-cross-country team. It marks the first time in 20 years that Australians have competed in the para-biathlon at a Winter Games.
Parker is the second summer Paralympian to be announced in Australia's 2026 winter squad, following para-cyclist Amanda Reid. Their presence raises a question that the Paralympic movement has been quietly grappling with: should elite disabled athletes be encouraged or even resourced to compete across multiple disciplines and seasons? The case for doing so is obvious in terms of representation and athlete development. The resource implications for a country like Australia, which has historically invested more heavily in summer Paralympic programmes, are considerably less straightforward.
Parker has little patience for the doubters, and she has faced plenty of them. "I have had a lot of people doubt me, like I had a lot of people doubt that I would get gold in Paris. And I had some doubters that I couldn't do winter sports so quickly. So, I just like to prove to myself but to prove to everyone that if you really work hard at something, you can do multiple sports and excel," she said.
For followers of Australian Paralympic sport, the Milano Cortina Games offer something genuinely worth watching. The Australian Paralympic Committee has built a credible winter programme over recent decades, and Parker's presence adds both star power and a storyline that cuts through in a way few winter sports stories do. Whether she can close the gap on Gretsch in Milan, or whether that reckoning belongs to a future Games, the ambition itself is a reminder of what elite sport at its best can look like: difficult, cross-disciplinary, and stubbornly human.
The Winter Paralympics begin on 6 March. Australian fans can follow team selections and results through the Australian Olympic and Paralympic committees as the Games unfold.