Anu Francis - Para Triathlon (IAP)
Anu Francis is a professional para-triathlete living with Dopa-responsive Dystonia (a one-in-a-million neurological condition), Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, and Autism. Following success in badminton and rowing, Anu made her international triathlon debut in 2022 hoping to achieve her dream of becoming a Paralympian. Anu has since been on the international podium twelve times, including bronze and silver medals at World Championships, gold in the Paris Paralympic Test Event and 2024 World Triathlon Para Series Devonport, and she is the current three-time Oceania Champion. Anu made her Paralympic debut in Paris 2024 ranked World No.2, becoming the first female PTS2 athlete to represent Australia at the Paralympics.
For her achievements in sport, Anu was named in the Advertiser’s Top 100 South Australian Athletes in 2023, as the 2023 SASi Individual Athlete Program Athlete of the Year and Flinders University Athlete Development Program Athlete of the Year, and 2024 Onkaparinga Sportsperson of the Year. Outside of being an athlete, Anu is a passionate disability and LGBTIQA+ advocate and works as a disability peer mentor, Exercise Scientist, and triathlon coach whilst studying the Master of Clinical Exercise Physiology. Anu was a 2024 Australian Institute of Sport Thrive with Pride lead ambassador and Pride House Ambassador for the Paris Olympics and Paralympics. Anu is passionate about using her platform as a Paralympian to create positive and sustained change, with her personal mission statement being to contribute toward a future where every child can pursue their dreams equitably regardless of diversity factors including disability, gender, sexuality and socioeconomic status.
Questions
The best thing about being a SASI Athlete:
Meeting others who share your passion for sport and high performance, particularly fellow elite pro athletes who are on the same path as you and understand the journey you’re on.
My favourite food to fuel me as an Athlete:
Pesto pasta (my pre-race staple!).
My favourite movie:
What We Do in the Shadows – Taika Waititi.
My favourite colours:
Blue, green and purple.
My sporting hero and why:
Kurt Fearnley: because he has done so much for our Australian Paralympic family and for our broader disability community. Kurt’s faced many challenges due to his disability, many of which have been due to barriers created by society rather than from his disability itself. However, he proactively worked through these to become an incredible teacher and Paralympian, and is still today one of the fiercest advocates I know, turning his hand to podcasting through to share the amazing stories and achievements of our Australian para athletes through his podcast ‘You Little Ripper’. What I admire most about Kurt is his positivity and the calm and proactive manner in which he tackles challenges. I see Kurt as a father-like figure within our Australian Paralympic movement and I am filled with immense pride to be following in his footsteps as a Paralympian and disability advocate.
My favourite possession:
My bikes are definitely up there (when they’re free of mechanical issues!) but my Australian Paralympic Pin #1144 means the world to me. The Paralympic Pin Project awards every Australian Paralympian with a beautiful pin engraved with their unique representation number. The project was only launched in 2022 but awarded pins right back to trailblazing first Paralympians who represented Australia at the inaugural Paralympic Summer Games in 1960. Every time I look at my pin, I think about the #1143 Paralympians who represented Australia before me and those that will come after me, and am filled with pride to be part of the Australian Paralympic family and to have my place in history recognised and memorialised forever.
The sporting activity I most like performing:
I love the feeling of freedom that swimming, cycling and running give me when everything just ‘clicks’!
If I wasn’t doing my current sport I would like to be:
The most important things in life:
Being a good person and helping others (animals included!), particularly those less fortunate than myself.
My ambassador activity tip:
Find activities that you enjoy, and the people, places and music/podcasts etc. that make you enjoy these activities the most, and make them part of your routine. The best exercise for you is the exercise that you enjoy and will do routinely, so discover which activities are soul-filling for you and focus on these.
My favourite way to keep active:
Training full-time as a triathlete is my favourite way to keep active, particularly when I get to train with friends, in the beautiful outdoors, and with my favourite music and podcasts!
The sport I like watching the most:
I love watching endurance sports, especially triathlon.
What sporting success looks like:
Sporting success looking like representing your club/team/country with pride in clean, fair competition where you always try your best. Beyond this, sporting success is utilising your platform and learnings from sport to make the world a better place.