The Para-Athlete Conquering the Able-Bodied Field with Sophie West (PTS5)

Send us Fan MailWelcome back to AMP its our great pleasure to welcome Dr Sophie West.Sophie says "I spent most of my adult life up to 2020 being told not to run or do impact sports, alongside having multiple surgeries and hospital admissions due to having my whole pelvis reconstructed due to my hip joints not having developed properly, on of the breaks they made in my pelvic bones never healed, hence the advice not to run.It’s actually left me with pretty stiff hips that have weakness and some nerve damage around the hips. I also work full time in the NHS as a doctor.Anyway after two pregnancies just in time for the start of Covid that bone, after 9 years healed! So I started running in Covid.We moved out of london in 2022 and at the end of 2023 I decided that 2024 would be the year I tried to do a triathlon. Started with a pool based swim one and…..won my age group, I had already left before the awards as it just didn’t even occur to me that I could have won!Through British triathlon I got assessed and was given a paratriathlon classification of PTS5. My second ever race was the British paratriathlon championships where I won silver (behind the awesome Claire Cashmore), and went on to win gold in 2025. Alongside earning myself aQT for both Europeans and worlds age group aquathlon championships where I came 7th and 11th respectively- not bad for a para athlete in an able bodied field.I have also now won the British paraduathlon championships in 2025 and 2026.All para stuff is sprint or super sprint. My goals for this year are to try some longer distances - I am doing the escape from Alcatraz triathlon (a bucket list item I didn’t know I wanted ) a standard distance triathlon and duathlon. And maybe take on a 70.3 next year.Also new for this year British triathlon have just published QTs for para-entry at multisport events so watch this space on that one.I’m also hoping to do the world aquathlon championships in Abu Dhabi in November, and trying to get a QT in aquathlon, sprint and standard distance duathlon for Edmonton.I’m also a mum to 6 and 10 year old boys. And yes, my life is completely bonkers!I think it would be interesting as a para-athlete in the age group team which is quite unusual and not too many of us! I also get swimming induced pulmonary oedema to add to the complexity of things!But also im still really new to the sport which I hope would inspire others."you can follow Sophie on instagram @doctorsophie82You Can Follow us  onYouTube - AMP GBInstagram @amp_podcastFacebook : Richard Joseph Conwayfind all our episodes on our websiteWebsite is : https://agegroupmultisportpodcast.buzzsprout.com/email: [email protected] Can buy the 1001 Triathlon Tips using this link - https://www.amazon.com/1001-TRIATHLON-TIPS-essential-triathlon-ebook/dp/B0GX39Z7P5/ref=zg_bsnr_g_16592_d_sccl_10/141-4765249-6496905?psc=1Support the show