Lauren Steadman and Claire Cashmore first met 18 years ago, and their lives and careers have been entwined ever since.
They were students together at Kelly College – a private boarding school in Devon – before becoming swimmers and competing at the Paralympics for Britain.
Both later transitioned into triathlon, were on the podium together at the Covid-delayed Games in Tokyo, and will once again fight for gold in the Paris Paralympics this summer.
It is a rivalry which has extended across the years – but, according to Steadman, is one that is friendly, even familial.
“She is like a big sister to me,” Steadman told BBC Sport. “I met her when I was 13, and I said to my dad: ‘I want to be Claire Cashmore.’
“Off the field we are very close. I never want her to have a bad race. I don’t want to beat someone when they are down.
“If we are leading the way forward, then who better to push boundaries with than my own team-mate. We can use each…
