Watching party for Cornish triathlete competing in Tokyo Paralympics
Melissa Reid from Porthtowan won bronze at Rio in 2016
Last updated 27th Aug 2021
A watching party is being held for a Cornish triathlete who is competing in the Tokyo Paralympics.
Melissa Reid, from Porthtowan, is visually impaired and blind in one eye.
The 30-year-old is coached by her dad and won bronze at the Rio Paralymics in 2016.
Melissa became ITU World Champion in 2013 and has won the ETU European Championships twice, in 2013 and 2017.
Now she is competing in her second Paralympic Games on Friday night (27th August).
Her sister, Courtney-Lee, has organised a watching party in her home village at the Victory Inn from 10pm onwards.
Courtney-Lee told us: "Whenever she's away and people know she's racing everyone is like 'how's she getting on, how's she doing' constantly everyday when I go into the local shop they say 'how's your sister getting on out there?' it's a real good sense of community here.
"It's a really exciting time, I dropped her off at the train station last week early one morning for her to go, we're just all excited for it really.
"In Rio I had to rely on watching a live stream from someone else's phone out there, as it wasn't televised. It was stressful as you had no idea what was going on. So it's really nice that it's televised this time.
"I just think it's a great idea for the local community to all come together and watch her, after not being able to watch her last time."
Melissa is competing in the Women's PTVI on Friday night.
You can find out more about Melissa Reid here.