Anu Francis

Started: In 2020 she switched from Para rowing to Para triathlon after missing out on qualification as a rower for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (triathlon.org.au, 01 Nov 2023; Facebook profile, 02 Nov 2022) Reason: "I actually started off in Para sport playing badminton and then I went through the SASI [South Australian Sports Institute] rowing programme. I ended up in Para triathlon kind of looking for a pathway towards the Paralympics." (The Running Company Australia YouTube channel, 26 Jul 2022) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. She also aspires to work as an exercise scientist and exercise physiologist. (LinkedIn profile, 03 Dec 2023; triathlon.org.au, 01 Nov 2023) Awards: She was named Flinders University Athlete Development Program Athlete of the Year for 2023. (Facebook profile, 06 Dec 2023) She was named Female Athlete of the Year for 2022/23 by Triathlon South Australia. (Facebook profile, 10 Oct 2023; SA Triathlon Facebook page, 15 Aug 2023) She received the Outstanding Achievement Award for 2022 from Triathlon South Australia. (Facebook profile, 02 Feb 2023) Additional Info: SWITCH TO TRIATHLON She switched from Para rowing to Para triathlon after missing out on qualification as a rower for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Despite having competed in running competitions during her youth, she was unfamiliar with the two other triathlon disciplines. She began learning to ride a bicycle for the first time since childhood six months before switching sports and she was unable to swim when she began triathlon training. "After around one month of one-on-one coaching in the pool learning how not to sink, my coach invited me along to his club's swim squad. I truly believe this was the 'secret' to my rapid swim progression. The friendly competition of the squad environment made the sessions fly by and kept me motivated and consistent with my training. My first triathlon was at the national championships in 2021, around four months after day one of swimming. Having only swam 750 metres once in the pool, my goal for the swim was purely to finish it, which I knew would be a real mental game." (triathlon.org.au, 01 Nov 2023) FURTHER EDUCATION Following her studies in veterinary medicine at the University of Adelaide in Australia, she went on to study for a degree in secondary and special education, health and science at Flinders University in Adelaide, SA, Australia. In 2021 she began studying for a bachelor's degree in exercise science and a master's degree in clinical exercise physiology, health and physical education at Flinders University. "After high school I studied bachelor of science [veterinary medicine] and graduated in 2017, gaining entry into the doctor of veterinary medicine. However, my dreams of becoming a veterinarian were dashed by my diagnosis of Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and later cerebral palsy, which forced me to terminate my studies. This injustice sparked in me a passion for equity and inclusive education, so in 2018 I transferred to Flinders University and began studying a double bachelor's degree of secondary and special education." (LinkedIn profile, 03 Dec 2023; thepinnaclefoundation.org, 17 Dec 2020) COACHING In February 2023 she began working as a triathlon coach at Flow Endurance, a triathlon coaching group in Australia. She has also worked as a rowing coach at high school level in Australia and as a development coach at Triathlon Australia, and she holds a level 1 coaching certificate from the Australian Strength and Conditioning Association. (LinkedIn profile, 03 Dec 2023)