Laura Gallagher Cox

Athlete

Psychology - The Open University: England

Husband Matthew Cox, daughter Edie [2023]

English

Quayside Trampoline and Gymnastics Club: Bridgwater, ENG

Susan Bramble [personal]

She returned to training in May 2022 after undergoing shoulder surgery to repair a damaged rotator cuff. (Instagram profile, 03 May 2022)

She suffered a back injury in 2014 and after struggling to return to full fitness, she quit the sport for seven months in early 2016. (bridgwatermercury.co.uk, 28 Dec 2017)

She ruptured ligaments in her ankle in 2013, leaving her unable to train for eight months. (thisisthewestcountry.co.uk, 03 Feb 2014)

While warming up in February 2010 she made a mistake and drove her knee into her chin, stripping the cartilage from beneath her kneecap and cracking her teeth. She was not able to compete for the rest of the season and took a year-long break from the sport due to rehabilitation. (causeway.com, 01 Jun 2011)

She took up the sport at age 15 at a local leisure centre.

She first tried trampolining for fun, once a week.

To compete at the 2023 World Championships in Birmingham, England. (LinkedIn profile, 25 Oct 2023)

Competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (Instagram profile, 30 Jul 2022)

"Don't be afraid to dream and don't be afraid to chase after that dream. There are going to be hurdles, but the hurdles are made to jump over." (tokyo2020.org, 25 Feb 2021)

OTHER ACTIVITIES
She serves as an athlete mentor for the More Than Medals Athlete Transition programme. As part of the Dame Kelly Holmes Trust, the programme helps provide skills and opportunities for athletes transitioning to life outside of sport. She has also worked as an athlete engagement manager for the Switch the Play Foundation, a UK-based charity that also aims to prepare athletes for life after sport. (LinkedIn profile, 25 Oct 2023; Twitter profile, 12 Feb 2023)

MOTHERHOOD
She gave birth to her daughter Edie in January 2023, and returned to training less than two months later. "It was mentally hard to take it easy for the full six weeks to be honest. I couldn't wait to get my body moving again. I started off with pilates and at seven weeks I got the go-ahead to start exercising again. Returning to training has not been easy and there have been quite a few set backs with my feet but things are finally settling down and my body is getting stronger [speaking in October 2023]. I have always wanted to be a mum and feel so lucky that this has at last become a reality for me and fortunate that I am able to continue doing the sport I love, too. There is so much I could say about the last nine months of being a first-time mum and athlete - lots of challenges I expected and some I did not - but in general, my biggest learning is to embrace 'going with the flow' - each day brings little surprises and tests and I'm finding the best way to manage is to just chill, breathe and do what you can in that moment." (LinkedIn profile, 25 Oct 2023; Instagram profile, 11 Aug 2023, 14 Oct 2023)

RETURN TO THE SPORT
She quit the sport in early 2016 following a series of injuries and performances that did not meet her personal expectations. "It was just too much, I couldn't think clearly. I couldn't make the right decisions and make clear decisions. Those things are really needed in sport. But you then lose perspective of yourself and your identity. And then it doesn't just happen in the trampoline world, it happens to you as a person." She renewed her passion for sport playing hockey and began her return to trampolining in September 2016. After triumphing at the 2017 British National Championship in Liverpool, England, she again decided to focus on the sport. "That's why the British Championships in 2017 meant so much to me, because actually I wasn't sure at that point. It was still very much competition to competition, let's see where this goes. I then went on to the World Cup and smashed that competition personally. It's been a brilliant experience after several years of really tough times and challenges and asking myself why I'm still putting myself through it." (tokyo2020.org, 25 Feb 2021; sportspielonline.com, 03 Mar 2019; bridgwatermercury.co.uk, 28 Dec 2017)

TIME AWAY FROM SPORT
After quitting trampolining in 2016, she spent time working as a teaching assistant in children's services while studying for a distance learning degree in psychology, before gradually returning to the sport, which she said gave her a new perspective. "I'm grateful to have experienced that busyness. It made me more resilient, tougher and more motivated. I was getting up early, training in the morning, going to work, having a two-minute power nap when I got to training, and then training again before going home and studying or writing an assignment." (givemesport.com, 24 Dec 2019)

COELIAC DISEASE
In 2012 she was diagnosed with coeliac disease, a condition that results in damage to the small intestine from foods containing gluten. "I felt tired all the time and my insides ached. I thought it was the training but it got really bad and it turned out to be coeliac disease. It's been a challenge but I'm used to the diet now. It'