{"id":16704,"date":"2022-08-08T15:17:09","date_gmt":"2022-08-08T13:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.220triathlon.com\/?p=109458"},"modified":"2022-08-08T16:00:14","modified_gmt":"2022-08-08T14:00:14","slug":"paula-findlay-background-career-highlights-and-quotes","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/220triathlon\/rss_feed\/paula-findlay-background-career-highlights-and-quotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Paula Findlay: Background, career highlights and quotes"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Liz Barrett\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 08 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

A former swimmer and runner who turned to triathlon in college, Canada\u2019s Paula Findlay quickly rose up the ITU ranks to compete at the highest level.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, severe illness and injury saw her take a step back from the sport before she relaunched herself on the middle-distance circuit, where she now regularly turns in podium performances.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s find out more about one of Canada\u2019s finest triathletes\u2026<\/p>\n

Who is Paul Findlay?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Paula Findlay during the bike leg of the Ironman 70.3 World Championship on 7 September, 2019, near Nice, France. (Credit: Pablo Blazquez Dominguez\/Getty Images for Ironman)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Born in Edmonton, Canada, Findlay has been a swimmer since the age of 10. She then added running while at school before a coach suggested she tried her hand at triathlon.<\/p>\n

That same year, aged 17, she made her international race debut at the 2006\u00a0at the World Junior Championships before switching to the senior ranks two years later at the Kelowna ITU Triathlon Premium Pan American Cup\u2026 and winning it.<\/p>\n

More podiums followed before she hit the big league in 2010, age 21, winning\u00a0back-to-back World Championship Series (WCS)\u00a0races in London and Kitzb\u00fchel and finishing fifth at the World Championships.<\/p>\n

The following season Findlay made it three WCS race wins in Sydney<\/strong><\/a>, Madrid and Kitzb\u00fchel and looked set to be one of the main challengers at the London Olympics in 2012. A hip injury midway through the year, though, denied her a shot at the world title.<\/p>\n

Going into what would be her only Olympic appearance, an as-yet-undisclosed diagnosis of iron-deficiency anaemia saw an agonising yet ultimately heroic display of sporting greatness as she valiantly completed the race, coming through in last place.<\/p>\n

Over the next few years, she tried to make her way back up the ranks, managing an eighth-place finish at the London WCS race in 2015. But she was never able to rediscover that podium-placing form at the top level.<\/p>\n

But the short-distance world\u2019s loss was simply middle-distance\u2019s gain, and since 2017 has been climbing 70.3 podiums all over the globe.<\/p>\n

How old is Paula Findlay?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Paula Findlay was born on 26 May 1989, making her 33 years of age.<\/p>\n

Paula Findlay\u2019s career highlights<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Findlay heads to the finish line in second place at the 2019 Ironman 70.3 St. George. (Credit: Gregory Shamus\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

September 2009: Remember the name<\/strong><\/h3>\n

After a couple of top-10 finishes at the Junior Worlds, Findlay mounts the podium for bronze at the World U23 Championship in Gold Coast.<\/p>\n

July 2010: Olympic intentions<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Paula Findlay wins her first World Triathlon Series race, in Hyde Park, London, on 24 July, 2010. (Credit: Mark Wieland\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

On what will be the Olympic course in 2012, Findlay has her breakthrough WCS race to take gold.<\/strong><\/a> Three weeks later and it\u2019s gold No. 2 in Kitzb\u00fchel<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

At the World Champs in Budapest in September she finishes fifth. Canada has a new tri queen.<\/p>\n

April 2011: A strong start before trouble brews<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Findlay starts the year as she left off, winning her first three WCS races in a row. But then a hip injury is diagnosed and the results drop off, only able to finish 29th in London in August and DNF\u2019ing at the Worlds in Beijing in September.<\/p>\n

August 2012: Heartbreak and heroics in Hyde Park<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Paula Findlay is comforted by her coach after finishing last at the 2012 Olympic Games triathlon in London. (Credit Fabrice Coffrini\/AFP\/GettyImages)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Fans, friends and family can barely watch as Findlay repeatedly pulls over during the run portion of the 2012 Olympic Games in clear distress and agony. Soon after the race she announces that she\u2019s been suffering with iron-deficiency anaemia<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Over the next five years, she continues racing the ITU circuit, focussing more on the lower-level Pan American and World Cups, but never finishes on the podium in a World Series event again.<\/p>\n

October 2017: Silver linings<\/strong><\/h3>\n

In her first Ironman 703, in Austin, Texas, Findlay finishes second behind another former ITU star, Sarah Groff (n\u00e9e True).<\/p>\n

May 2018: Golden hour\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Findlay wins Ironman 70.3 St. George, Utah, on 5 May, 2018. (Credit: Donald Miralle\/Getty Images)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Rediscovers that winning feeling at the North American Champs at Ironman 70.3 St George. Two fourths, a sixth and a second complete her first full year on the middle-distance circuit.<\/p>\n

September 2019: A minor blip\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Places just outside of the top 10 at her first Ironman 70.3 Worlds, in 13th place. But her year has been bountiful with a fourth, a silver, two bronzes and two golds, including a win at Challenge Daytona in December.<\/p>\n

December 2020: Pay day<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Races once in a pandemic-pausing season, but it more than makes up for the year off as Findlay wins and collects $100,000 at the PTO Champs at Challenge Daytona<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

July 2022: Strong summer<\/strong><\/h3>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Findlay sneaks a smile for the camera at her home race, the PTO Canadian Open in Hawrelak Park, Edmonton. (Credit: PTO)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

In her hometown, Findlay takes silver at the PTO Canadian Open<\/strong><\/a> behind another ITU alumni Ashleigh Gentle.<\/p>\n

Paula Finday in quotes<\/strong><\/h2>\n

On finishing last the 2012 Olympic Games:\u00a0\u201cI\u2019m sorry. I really feel like I need to apologise to everybody. I feel terrible. I had nothing. It\u2019s the Olympics Games and it\u2019s my first time here and it\u2019s overwhelming. I finished. I really wanted to stop. It was a huge mental struggle just to get to the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

On her anaemia diagnosis in 2012: \u201cIt definitely was one of the factors that played into that [London] race. It\u2019s a little bit comforting, well, not comforting, but to know that there was an actual reason I performed that way.\u00a0It wasn\u2019t because of my [hip] injury. My injury was all better.\u201d<\/p>\n

On wining Challenge Daytona in 2020: \u201cI guess I\u2019ve been written off a little bit over the years but showed I still have a little bit in me.\u00a0To have a top result now, I appreciate it so much more. I\u2019m obviously a lot older now and I\u2019m a better place in my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

On her ability to persevere: \u201cI\u2019m pretty good at forging ahead and that\u2019s why I\u2019m still racing. Even right after the Olympics in London I was ready to keep racing. I hadn\u2019t quit the sport. I\u2019ve been racing. Never big enough to get attention from the media. It appears I\u2019ve been gone but I\u2019ve been racing.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next for Paula Findlay?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Findlay will be hoping to improve on her 10th-place finish at the 2021 Collins Cup when she competes again at this year\u2019s event as part of Team Internationals<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beyond that, another crack at the Ironman 70.3 Championships at the end of October will focus her training and racing for the rest of the year.<\/p>\n

Top image: <\/strong>PTO<\/p><\/body><\/html>\n

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