Melissa Reid

Melissa made her Paralympic debut at Rio 2016. She won bronze in dramatic style in the women’s PT5 event alongside guide Nicole Walters after overtaking their American rivals in the closing metres of the race.

Melissa was born in Nottinghamshire and moved to Cornwall when she was ten. She first started triathlon through her dad, having previously taken part in surfing, swimming and surf live-saving. Her swimming background makes her one of the strongest swimmers in the PT5 class for visually impaired athletes.

Melissa is a member of Gyllngvase club and also works as a swimming teacher. She was first selected for the British Triathlon Para-triathlon squad in 2012 having finished second at the 2011 ITU World Championship Series in London.

Unfortunately, Melissa suffered a prolapsed disc towards the tail end of 2017 which put her out of contention for 18 months but is now back competing and won a silver medal at the 2019 World Triathlon Grand Final in Lausanne, Switzerland. She finished in seventh place at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games along with her guide Hazel Macleod.

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games

• Bronze

2019 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Lausanne, Switzerland

• Silver

2017 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final, Rotterdam, Netherlands

• Bronze

2016 ITU Para Triathlon World Championships, Rotterdam, Netherlands

• Bronze

2014 ITU Para Triathlon World Championships, Edmonton, Canada

• Silver