Jess Learmonth

“From supermarket worker to Olympic medal hopeful” was how the BBC summarised the remarkable career of Jessica Learmonth, who now returns to the sport as new mum.

Jess’s story is not so much about finding sport later in life than most professional athletes, but rather abandoning sport and then coming back to it. Growing up, the Leeds based star was a national level swim champion, but like so many, fell out of love with the relentless grind of the early mornings and staring at a black line for hours on end.

Jess, a keen golfer and footballer who played for Leeds United’s academy, travelled with her partner, Jon, aged 21. After returning home, she felt out of shape but could only cycle after hurting her knee in a Bootcamp class. She started working at a local supermarket, where Jess and her colleagues staged a fundraising triathlon challenge. Needless to say, it helped light a fire.

By 2012, Jess was working as a personal trainer and decided to go and watch the women’s triathlon at the London Olympics. Inspired, Jess dedicated herself to the sport and made quick progress, joining the Great Britain world-class performance squad just three years later. Jess fitted in naturally on the elite scene and secured Commonwealth Games silver medals in 2018, both in the individual and Mixed Relay. In 2019 she finished second behind Katie Zaferes in the WTS series.

Jess made international headlines at the Olympic qualification event in Tokyo as she crossed the line hand-in-hand with teammate and friend Georgia Taylor-Brown, only for the pair to be disqualified. She made her Super League Triathlon debut at the SLT Arena Games in Rotterdam in 2020 and dominated from start to finish.

After a period of injury, Jess bounced back in style and took a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics as part of Great Britain’s Mixed Relay team, but serious injury struck in 2023 at supertri E in Singapore when her hip problem broke down.

An extended injury absence became an extended maternity absence as Jess welcomed her first child. She fully returned to racing in 2024.