Sophie Coldwell
profile
Sophie Coldwell’s steady improvement and terrific performances have marked her down as one of the world’s finest short-course triathletes.
The Loughborough-based athlete is a consistent performer, with multiple podium finishes to her name.
Although just a reserve at the Tokyo Olympics in the summer of 2021, Coldwell struck gold in the Mixed Relay at the 2022 Commonwealth Games alongside Georgia Taylor-Brown, Alex Yee and Sam Dickinson.
That victory in Birmingham was all the sweeter as she’d just missed out on a medal when finishing fourth in the individual race two days before.
Coldwell is originally from Gravesend, Kent but grew up in Keyworth, Nottingham, where she joined Charnwood Athletics Club and Nottingham Leander Swimming Club. Coldwell still runs for Charnwood and recorded the fastest time for her leg of the Midlands six-stage road relays in March 2022, and performed well on a National level in April 2023 too.
Having graduated from Loughborough University in 2017 with a biology degree, she remained in the town to focus on triathlon under coach Adam Elliott.
Coldwell first got into triathlon as an eight-year-old when her mum entered her into a local event in Clifton, Nottingham. She went on to win junior and under 23 medals at international level before making a successful transition to the senior ranks.
Coldwell spent much 2022 seeking to hone her bike skills by competing in cycling for Loughborough Lightning. Now firmly established in the top-10 of the World Triathlon Rankings, she looks ready to challenge for global honours.
Sophie Coldwell record and results
Sophie Coldwell has been competing internationally at triathlon since 2012, and was racing at senior level by 2014. She first made her mark in the senior ranks in 2017, beginning that year with victory in the ETU Triathlon European Cup at Quarteira, Portugal, edging out GB team-mate Georgia Taylor-Brown.
Coldwell showed this was no flash-in-the-pan by finishing fourth in an ITU World Triathlon race at Yokohama before coming second, behind fellow Brit Jess Learmonth, in the ETU European Championships at Kitzbühel, Austria.
Coldwell’s sixth place at the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games saw her finish as England’s third representative behind Learmonth (second) and Vicky Holland (fourth). But four months later, she had secured her first ITU level victory.
Coldwell won the ITU World Cup event at Tiszaujvaros, Hungary, clocking the fastest run split (17:04) to cross the line in 59:02. She backed this up with victory in the ETU European Championships at Tartu, Estonia (58:32) a week later.
Coldwell next topped the podium in 2019 with victory in the ITU World Cup at Cagliari, Italy (57:57), having finished fourth in Madrid two weeks previously. Her best two placings for the remainder of the year came in relay events. Coldwell was part of British team who won the World Triathlon Mixed Relay Series event in Nottingham and also finished second in Edmonton.
Having not competed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Sophie enjoyed her strongest year yet in 2021. Her best results were third places in the WTCS races at Leeds (1:54:46) and Abu Dhabi (56:11).
Having opened the door to the WTCS podium in 2021, that trend continued into the new season, with 2022 delivering another third place finish in Leeds, which she improved upon for a career-best second at the opening round of the 2023 season in Abu Dhabi. Coldwell went on to win her first WTCS race in Yokohama in 2023, before struggling at races in Montreal, Hamburg and Paris and rounding out her season with seventh at the WTCS Finals in Pontevedra.
In 2024, Coldwell started the season with a third place finish at the Europe Triathlon Cup in Melilla, before then taking seventh place at WTCS Cagliari in the final selection race for the Paris Olympic Games.
Heartbreakingly, Coldwell was left off Team GB for the second consecutive Olympic Games, with Georgia Taylor-Brown, Beth Potter and Kate Waugh named to the squad set for Paris.
After not making the squad, Coldwell was announced alongside Jessica Learmonth as one of the wildcards for the upcoming T100 Triathlon World Tour event in London on July 27-28.
Sophie Coldwell family
Coldwell married GB ultra runner, Tom Evans, in November 2022.
Sophie Coldwell gear
Coldwell rides Specialized bikes and wears Asics running shoes.