Claire Cashmore

Started: She developed an interest in swimming at age six when she moved to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and went on to compete at four Paralympic Games in the sport. She switched to Para triathlon in 2017. (Twitter profile, 03 Jul 2018; thetimes.co.uk, 28 Oct 2017; clairecashmore.com, 11 Sep 2017; leeds.ac.uk, 21 Dec 2011) Reason: She was involved in athletics and swimming in her youth, and at age 15 she decided she had more potential in swimming than in running. She took up Para triathlon after taking time away from sport following the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. "I had always wanted to give triathlon a go, so I was incredibly excited when it made its Paralympic debut in Rio 2016. After Rio, I had my swim funding cut, which was a really tough pill to swallow and hard to comprehend. I took a few months out to decide what I really wanted to do now - did I want to carry on as a swimmer and support myself, try triathlon or go into the real world and get a real job? I realised I really wanted a new challenge and to step outside my comfort zone, so I decided I would love to see how far I could get in triathlon. When I was a swimmer, I felt like a zombie. Mentally it is tough, following a black line [in the pool]. So going into a sport where you can be out on the road and see so many beautiful little towns and villages is amazing." (tri247.com, 14 Mar 2024; 220triathlon.com, 19 Aug 2023; lessonsinbadassery.com, 17 Feb 2021; thetimes.co.uk, 28 Oct 2017; clairecashmore.com, 11 Sep 2017; weleda.co.uk, 01 Jan 2016; abilityvsability.co.uk, 15 Jan 2010) Ambition: To compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris. (tri247.com, 14 Mar 2024) Awards: In 2017 she was named Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire [MBE]. (kidderminstershuttle.co.uk, 25 Feb 2017) In 2004 she won the BBC Midlands Young Disabled Sports Person of the Year award. She also won the ITV Sporting Midlander of the Year and NPower Young Female Achiever awards in the same year. (skysports.com, 03 Feb 2013) Additional Info: SWIMMING TO TRIATHLON She won her seventh and eighth Paralympic medals in swimming at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. In September 2017 she announced that she would be switching sports to pursue a career in Para triathlon. "I had always wanted to give triathlon a go so when I saw it was making its [Paralympic] debut in 2016, I decided I would love to get involved. After Rio 2016, it seemed like the best time to transition into triathlon, to give myself a Paralympic cycle to learn the tricks of the trade. It was a huge leap outside of my comfort zone but it was 100% the right decision. I am now juggling the demands of three sports rather than just one. Time-wise I am probably spending a similar amount of time training, however across the three elements, and it is the variety that I love. I'm not sure how I used to do 20 hours in the pool a week, although I did spend all my time walking around like a zombie." (lessonsinbadassery.com, 17 Feb 2021; paralympics.org.uk, 05 Nov 2020; thetimes.co.uk, 28 Oct 2017; clairecashmore.com, 11 Sep 2017) AUTHOR In June 2021 she released a children's book called 'Splash'. The book is based on her own experiences and tells the story of a girl with an upper limb deficiency who conquers a fear of water. "Something I've always been quite passionate about is disability representation, and the lack of it, and how we can have more role models out there with a disability in the media, in books, all that kind of stuff. So I was like, right. I need rather than to just keep talking about this, I actually need to do something, and try to normalise disability as much as possible by it existing in all areas of life." (harpercollins.co.uk, 10 Jun 2021; times-series.co.uk, 10 Mar 2021) OTHER ACTIVITIES She has served as an athlete mentor with the Youth Sport Trust charity. (LinkedIn profile, 20 Jun 2024; British Triathlon Facebook page, 26 Jun 2020) FURTHER EDUCATION She has completed a master's degree in leadership and management at Northumbria University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (LinkedIn profile, 20 Jun 2024; kidderminstershuttle.co.uk, 25 Feb 2017)