![]() Thompson in 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Birth name | Laura Gail Thompson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | 4 June 1987 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Sport | Cycling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Laura Gail Thompson ONZM (for a time with a married name Fairweather; born 4 June 1987) is a New Zealand cyclist and former basketballer. She represented New Zealand at the 2012 Summer Paralympics as the tandem sighted pilot for Phillipa Gray, winning three medals: one gold, one silver and one bronze. [1] [2] [3] [4] At the 2016 Summer Paralympics, she was the sighted pilot for Emma Foy, winning one silver and one bronze medal. [5] [6]
From 2014 to 2016 she won a total of eight medals (including three gold) at the UCI Para-cycling Track and Road Championships, with partner Emma Foy. [7] [8]
Thompson played basketball in her youth, representing New Zealand at junior level before being selected for the national team at age 18. However, she developed hip problems requiring surgery to correct and forcing her to retire from basketball. Thompson picked up cycling through rehabilitation, later becoming a member of the national development team before switching to para-cycling piloting in 2009. [9]
In the 2013 New Year Honours, Fairweather was appointed a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to cycling. [10] [11] In the 2022 New Year Honours, Thompson was promoted to Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to Paralympic cycling. [12]
Aileen McGlynn is a Scottish paralympic tandem champion cyclist, tandem piloted until 2009 by Ellen Hunter but most regularly piloted by Helen Scott.
Kieran John Modra was an Australian Paralympic swimmer and tandem cyclist. He won five gold and five bronze medals at eight Paralympic Games from 1988 to 2016, along with two silver medals at the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Katherine Horan is a New Zealand paralympics runner and cyclist.
Richard Barnaby "Barney" Storey MBE is a British cyclist. He rides as a sighted pilot for blind or partially sighted athletes in tandem track cycling events. He competed at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games and won three gold medals and a bronze.
Scott Matthew McPhee, is an Australian cyclist, who piloted Kieran Modra in tandem cycling. He won a gold medal with Modra at the 2012 London Paralympics.
Phillipa Gray is a New Zealand Paralympic cyclist.
Neil Michael Fachie is a Scottish cyclist and former track athlete, competing in events for people with a visual impairment. Fachie has competed in two Paralympics, as a sprinter in the 2008 Games in Beijing and as a tandem cyclist in London 2012. In London he won the gold medal in the Men's individual 1 km time trial and silver in the individual sprint, both with Barney Storey as his sighted pilot. Outside of the Paralympic Games, Fachie is a nineteen-time world champion and 5 times Commonwealth Games champion, creating tandem partnerships with Barney Storey, Pete Mitchell, and Olympians Craig MacLean and Matt Rotherham.
Helen Sarah Scott, is an English sprint cyclist. As well as competing as part of the Great Britain team Scott is also an able-bodied tandem cyclist, who since 2011 has acted as pilot for Paralympian Aileen McGlynn, Sophie Thornhill and Alison Patrick.
Nikita Stevie Howarth is a New Zealand para-cyclist and para-swimmer. She became New Zealand's youngest ever Paralympian after being selected for the 2012 Summer Paralympics, aged 13 years 8 months. She again represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, where she won the gold medal in the women's 200 metre individual medley SM7 and the bronze medal in the women's 50 metre butterfly S7.
Sophie Thornhill, is a visually impaired English former racing cyclist who competed in para-cycling tandem track events. She is a double world champion, with pilot Rachel James, and a double Commonwealth gold medallist, with pilot Helen Scott, in the tandem sprint and 1 km time trial events. In April 2014, she set world records in the tandem sprint and 1 km time trial, piloted by James. She retired from competition in 2020.
New Zealand competed at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7 to 18 September 2016. It was the nation's thirteenth appearance at the Summer Paralympics, having made its debut in 1968 and appeared in every edition since.
Madison Janssen is an Australian cyclist. She is a world champion, multiple national champion and a world record holder. In May 2016 she was named as part of the Australian cycling team as the sighted pilot for Jessica Gallagher for the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio, where they won a bronze medal in the Women's 1000m time trial.
David Edwards is an Australian cyclist, who has found sporting success both individually and in tandem cycling. He piloted Kieran Modra in tandem cycling. He made his Paralympic debut at the 2016 Rio Paralympics.
Lora Marie Fachie, is a visually impaired English racing cyclist who competes in para-cycling tandem road and track events. She is a double world champion, with pilot Corrine Hall, in the tandem road race and 1 km time trial events.
Stephen Stanley Bate is a New Zealand–British Paralympic cyclist who competes in tandem races as an athlete with a visual impairment. Since 2014, Bate has been piloted by Adam Duggleby. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the pair won gold in the men's individual pursuit B and men's road time trial B, and bronze in the men's road race B.
Adam Christopher John Duggleby is a British cyclist. He represented Great Britain at the 2016 Rio Paralympics as a sighted pilot for visually impaired cyclist Stephen Bate, whom he was paired with in January 2014. The pair won gold in the men's individual pursuit B and men's road time trial B, and bronze in the men's road race B.
Emma Foy is a New Zealand para-cyclist. She represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, where she won a silver and a bronze medal with sighted pilot Laura Thompson.
Hannah van Kampen is a New Zealand cyclist. She represented New Zealand at the 2016 Summer Paralympics as the sighted pilot for Amanda Cameron. As the sighted pilot for Emma Foy, she won a gold and bronze medal at the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Apeldoorn, and a gold and silver medal at the 2019 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Emmen, Netherlands.
Tristan Bangma is a visually impaired Dutch Paralympic cyclist. He is a gold medalist in cycling at both the 2016 Summer Paralympics and the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Patrick Bos is a Dutch cyclist who rides as a sighted pilot for blind or partially sighted athletes in tandem track and road events. He competed at the 2012, 2016 and 2020 Paralympic Games, having won three medals.