Name Stefanie Reid | Education Queen's University | |
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Stefanie reid the will to win
Stefanie 'Stef' Reid (born 26 October 1984) is a track and field Paralympian who competes for Great Britain, competing mainly in category T44 long jump and sprint events. A multiple medal winner at European and World level, her most notable success are during the Paralympic games at Beijing and London where she won a bronze in the sprint (2008) and silver in the long jump (2012).
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Inspirational Stef Reid
Personal history
Born in New Zealand to British parents (Scottish father, English mother), the family moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada when she was aged 4. Reid lost her right foot in a boating accident, aged 16; (Steph speaking live on UK Channel 4 TV, advised that the accident happened when she was 15) her life was saved by a surgeon in Toronto who managed to stem the blood flow through amputation.
Reid is married to Canadian wheelchair racer Brent Lakatos, and they now live in England where they both train at Loughborough University.
Athletics career
Sports-loving before the accident, she played rugby union, but encountered difficulties after her amputation with referees who felt the artificial leg could injure other players. Deciding to concentrate on her studies, she gained a full scholarship to Queen's University to study biochemistry. After joining the campus track and field team, three years later she competed at the World Championships.
Competing for Canada in the 2008 Summer Paralympics in Beijing, China, she won a bronze medal in the women's 200 metres - T44 event, went out in the first round of the women's 100 metres - T44 event and finished fifth in the women's Long jump - F44 event. She switched allegiance to Great Britain at the start of 2010.
In 2010, BBC presenter and producer Matthew Stadlen spent a day with Reid for the news programme The Road With... A Paralympian.
In April 2013, it was announced that Reid would feature in the latest campaign for British high-street store Debenhams, the first high street chain to use disabled models in its campaigns. Reid's photo was featured in British Vogue magazine in April 2013. The imagery celebrates diversity in the retail sector.
Reid attempted to qualify to represent Scotland in the able-bodied long jump at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, however she did not manage to meet the qualifying standard of 6.2 metres, although she did set a new world record for the T44 class at the Sainsbury's Glasgow Grand Prix (5.47m) whilst attempting to qualify.
Despite not qualifying for the Commonwealth Games, Reid won gold at the IPC European Championships in Swansea, seeing off the challenge of main rival and former world record holder, France's Marie-Amélie Le Fur by four centimetres.