Paris 2024: Lauren Steadman, Claire Cashmore and Grace Norman fight for Paralympic gold

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, they 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 familiar.

“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 other to be the best in the world.”

That drive to be the best was born at Kelly College – now known as Mount Kelly, which has produced a remarkable number of Olympians and Paralympians, particularly swimmers.

Along with Cashmore and Steadman, Paralympic gold medal-winning swimmers Hannah Russell and Michael Jones also attended the boarding school in Tavistock, as did British Olympians Sharron Davies, Andy Jameson and Robin Brew.

As well as sharing an alma mater, Cashmore and 31-year-old Steadman also have a similar disability – one missing forearm – which means they compete in the same Para-triathlon category, PTS5.

While they race against one another, Cashmore – who is five years the senior of Steadman – says they rarely interact outside of the blue carpet, despite her team-mate’s description of a sisterly relationship.

“Lauren and myself don’t train together, we only see each other at competitions and training camps,” she told BBC Sport. “It keeps you on your toes to know there are girls who are constantly pushing and breaking down those barriers to be better, so you have to make sure you are doing everything you can as well.

“I love racing against other people who are constantly pushing me to be better. It is what keeps me motivated, setting goals each day. If it was a walk in the park, I wouldn’t have that same drive every day. I love to be, pushed see the other girls doing well and keep pushing boundaries.”