Tokyo Paralympics: Robyn Lambird becomes first non-binary medal-winner
Lambird has said they cannot describe their emotions after winning a bronze medal in the Women's 100m T34.
Words: Alastair James; pictures: Wiki and Instagram/@robynlambird
Australia’s Robyn Lambird has become the first out non-binary Paralympian medal winner after winning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
The wheelchair sprinter athlete, 24, who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy aged 9, made history on Sunday (29 August) finishing in third place in the Women’s 100m T34 with a time of 18.68 seconds.
The Tokyo Games are Lambird’s first Paralympic Games, and along with the Olympians American skateboarder Alana Smith and Canada’s footballer Quinn they join a small but growing group of out non-binary athletes at the summit of international sport.
“Words cannot describe my emotions”
As reported by The West Australian, Lambird has said: “It is my first (Paralympic) Games. It’s been almost a 10-year dream so to be here and to win a medal among the best in the world… it’s awesome.” She also told the Australian broadcaster Channel 7 that “disabled is sexy”.
Lambird elaborated on this when posting on Instagram following the race saying, “Words cannot describe my emotions.
“Last night @stevewalton_mma took me through a visualisation session and today those images, those thoughts became a reality.
View this post on Instagram
“I can’t thank all of you enough for being a part of this wild ride. I couldn’t have done any of this without all of the support I have received over the last few years and you all mean the world to me.
“This isn’t over though, and the can’t bloody wait to see what’s next!
In a separate post, Lambird thanked her family, friends, and coaches for their help in getting them to this point. Team GB’s Hannah Cockroft earned gold in the event after being timed at 16.39 seconds, a world record. Fellow Briton Kare Adenegan earned the silver with 17.03 seconds
Their win in Tokyo marks the latest point in a relatively short journey, only taking up wheelchair racing seriously in 2016. She finished fifth at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in the same category as she competed in on Sunday.
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