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The Professional Triathletes Organisation, Challenge Family and Challenge Roth have today announced that the inaugural Collins Cup will be hosted at Challenge Roth on 1 July 2018 and will be the highlight of the weekend celebrations at the legendary race.
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In order to accommodate a live global media broadcast, the first Collins Cup match is expected to start at noon, while age-groupers and professionals (not on a Collins Cup team) racing the traditional Roth course will begin at 6:30am.
The Collins Cup: a new Ryder Cup-style team competition for long distance tri
Tim O’Donnell and Rachel Joyce, Co-Presidents of the PTO, commented: “We could not be more thrilled that the first Collins Cup will be hosted at Roth. The primary mission of the PTO is to celebrate the sport of triathlon. The Collins Cup will bring together legends in this sport to captain today’s top triathletes in a battle to see which region dominates triathlon.
“Not only is this going to create a riveting competition, it will also serve as a platform for professionals and fans to celebrate triathlon. We can think of no better place to start that celebration than in Roth, where the fan support is truly amazing.”
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Challenge Roth CEO, Felix Walchshoefer, stated: “Europeans love triathlon and especially the 260,000 dedicated German fans at Roth. As Germany has been unsuccessful in its last two bids to host the Ryder Cup, we were not going to miss the opportunity to bring The Collins Cup to Germany. The whole Challenge Family team pulled out all the stops to make sure that The Collins Cup would be contested at Roth, and we are pleased to have been selected as host venue for the inaugural event. It is only fitting that our dedicated fans and supporters have the opportunity to witness what will be an iconic event for the sport for triathlon.”
The Collins Cup is a first of its kind global competition in which teams of triathletes from the USA, Europe and the rest of the World (the ‘Internationals’) will compete to determine which region dominates the sport of triathlon.
Modelled on golf’s Ryder Cup, The Collins Cup is a long-distance team competition among USA, Europe and the Internationals. Each team will consist of 12 professional triathletes, six men and six women. An athlete from each team will battle against one another in an individual race of three, so there will be 12 separate race matches, each staggered 10 minutes apart. Athletes will be awarded points for their team based on performances in their respective race match and the team with the most overall points from the 12 race matches will claim the spoils of The Collins Cup and bragging rights as the most dominant force in the sport. The team that finishes last will receive The Broken Spoke Trophy.
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Eight athletes will earn a place on their respective teams by way of the PTO World Ranking System and the remaining four athletes will be selected by each team’s captains. The team captains for The Collins Cup 2018 are: Dave Scott & Karen Smyers (USA); Normann Stadler & Chrissie Wellington (Europe); and Craig Alexander, Simon Whitfield, Erin Baker & Lisa Bentley (International).
On a hot and windy day at one of triathlon’s most spectacular and historic races, Daniela Ryf has taken her second consecutive Challenge Roth title in front of 200,000+ spectators. Her currently unofficial time of 8:40:03 fell short of Chrissie Wellington’s 8:18hr iron-distance world record, but was still the 10th fastest women’s iron time in history.
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And here she is! @danielaryf is your 2017 DATEV Challenge Roth Champion! #challengeroth pic.twitter.com/UOiPOz1fvO
— Challenge Roth (@ChallengeRoth1) July 9, 2017
The men’s race in Bavaria was won by Belgium’s Bart Aernouts in 7:59:07, 3:53mins ahead of Britain’s Joe Skipper who ran himself into second place, just as he had at Roth in 2016. German Maurice Clavel was third and Roth veteran Timo Bracht of Germany was fourth.
#ChallengeRoth Your 2017 champion is @bartaernouts pic.twitter.com/FGq0XhZRcJ
— Challenge Roth (@ChallengeRoth1) July 9, 2017
At the 2016 Challenge Roth event a year ago, it was the Jan Frodeno and Daniela Ryf show. The former would smash the men’s iron-distance record with a time of 7:35:39, and the latter posted the third-fastest female time in history with a 8:22:04 finish to take a convincing win.
Here’s why we named Roth the greatest triathlon in the world
For 2017, it was Switzerland’s Ryf going it alone in the record-attempting stakes, with the German Frodeno having opted for Ironman Austria a week before; validating his Ironman World Championship spot but missing out on the official fastest Ironman time in history.
A week later and Ryf – the reigning Ironman world champ – had one bold goal in mind; breaking Brit Chrissie Wellington’s Iron-distance world record of 8:18:13, which was set back at Roth in 2011. Last year Ryf was just four minutes short of Wellington’s record, and that was having entered late after a DNF at Ironman Frankfurt a week before the Roth race.
“I enjoyed the atmosphere at DATEV Challenge Roth so much last year. It gave me wings and it made me realise, on a perfect day, the world record of Chrissie Wellington could possibly be in reach,” Ryf said pre-race. “I’m fascinated by Chrissie’s record and I’ll try my best on race day to see how fast I can go.” Wellington was in Bavaria to watch Ryf’s record attempt and to form part of a tri superstar relay team.
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And they’re off! #ChallengeRoth is underway with the male pro start. pic.twitter.com/DLNZLpkT1c
— Challenge Roth (@ChallengeRoth1) July 9, 2017
Cut to daybreak at the Donau Kanal east of Roth, and Ryf was first female out of the 3.8km swim ahead of Heather Wurtele and Brit Laura Siddall. By 25km of the 180km bike (a legendary leg that includes the iconic Solarberg, arguably tri’s greatest sight), that lead had been extended to 2:25mins, with the early lack of wind and early 20C temperatures aiding Ryf’s record-attempt.
At 90km the winds had picked up in what Challenge called ‘a significant change of weather’, and Ryf – aboard her Felt bike – was still holding an 8min advantage of the chasing trio of Siddall, former Roth winner Yvonne van Vlerken and Heather Wurtele. By 122km, that lead was 10:47mins; by the second time up the Solarberg for Ryf it was 11:05mins over Siddall.
RYF BATTLES THE NEW RUN ROUTE
Onto the marathon run and Ryf had clocked a 4:39hr bike split (a minute faster than Wellington’s 2011 time) but, with Wellington having produced a 2:44hr marathon, the Swiss star was up against it from the start of the new run route that’s said to be more undulating than the previous version.
By the 15km mark on the run and Ryf was flying, continuing to produce low 4min/kms. With temperatures approaching 30C by the half-marathon point, Ryf had a 15min lead over Siddall and her battle was now purely with the clock. Exact split times were hard to come by, but by the line Ryf was just over Wellington’s record, crossing the line in 8:40:03hrs.
Brit Laura Siddall held on for second, while American Lisa Roberts took third place.
#ChallengeRoth And here’s your women’s champion, @danielaryf! Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/Znb5GUxH2e
— Challenge Roth (@ChallengeRoth1) July 9, 2017
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Head to the Challenge Family website for info on how to race Roth in 2018.
Ironman have announced that September’s Ironman Wales in Tenby will be allocated 25 additional qualifying slots for the 2018 Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, taking the total number of slots available to 65.
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The race on Wales’ south-west coast has become a firm athlete favourite and now carries the added prestige as a high-ranking qualifier to the world’s most famous triathlon in Ironman’s birthplace of Hawaii.
Find out why we named Ironman Wales as one of the world’s toughest races
With a sea swim, a total bike elevation of 2,095m and a rolling run route (elevation of 350m), Wales is known as one of the most challenging courses on the Ironman calendar. The additional slots now give athletes an increased chance of earning a coveted place on the start line of the World Championship – one of the highest slot allocations in Europe outside of the regional championship.
With Ironman Wales’ 10th of September date, the race is one of the earliest qualifiers for the 2018 Ironman World Championship. This gives athletes the opportunity to gain early qualification and allows them to plan their 2018 season well in advance.
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Ironman Wales starts with a 3.8km swim on Tenby’s North Beach, followed by a 180km bike through the scenic countryside of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, including the infamous ‘Heartbreak Hill’ in Saundersfoot. The 42.2km marathon run passes by medieval town walls with the beachfront providing an impressive backdrop for the marathon through Tenby, and all of this backed by some of the biggest, most passionate and vocal crowds in Ironman racing.
Ironman Wales takes place 10 September 2017 in Tenby, Pembrokeshire. For more information and to enter visit the event website, www.ironman.com/wales
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Image: Getty/Ironman
Brit online bike giants Ribble Cycles has today launched a new collection of bike apparel; the Nuovo cycling clothing range.
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Targeted at both male and female cyclists, the Nuovo clothing collection initially consists of cycling jerseys and shorts, with more items to be released in the coming months.
The short-sleeved jersey is priced at £55. Ribble tout the breathability and moisture-wicking properties, with the arm cuffs made from an elasticated and seamless material aimed at added comfort. The jerseys also have three reinforced rear pockets that are traced with reflective piping. The women’s collection comes in coral and peppermint colour ways, while the men’s range consists of red or charcoal grey.
The bib-shorts, which are priced at £65, have been designed to wear alongside the jerseys and seek to balance performance and comfort. The back of the bib-shorts are made from a mesh back panel, which is laser cut, and the pad is made from 12mm seamless breathable foam, which is perforated to aid breathability.
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For more info on the Ribble Nuovo range, visit www.ribblecycles.co.uk
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Blink and you might have missed this year’s WTS Hamburg sprint-distance women’s race, which saw reigning world champ Flora Duffy make light(ish) work of the historic German city’s streets to win her first WTS sprint distance and her third straight WTS race of 2017.
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Just off the 750m swim pace, which saw Brazil’s Vittoria Lopes exit in a blistering 9:15mins, Duffy used her world-beating pedal power to bring herself and a group of almost 25 athletes up to the front.
By the end of the first lap, Duffy, USA’s Kirstin Kasper and GB’s Jess Learmonth had made their intentions known, working as a formidable threesome to put some serious space between them and the chasers.
Halfway through the six-lap 20km bike course, and the gap had grown to 25 seconds.
With just over 6km to ride, Duffy decided she needed some alone time, shooting off the front with the remaining duo unable to respond. By T2, Duffy had built herself a cushion of 41 seconds for the start of the 5km run.
With Duffy’s lead never in doubt, the race was on for the remaining podium places. Having beasted the last few laps of the bike leg as a pair, Kasper and Learmonth were soon swallowed up by the fresher-legged chase-pack athletes. The first to make the move to the front was Australia’s Ashleigh Gentle, who raced into second for her third silver-medal finish of the season.
The next was New Zealand’s Andrea Hewitt (and winner of the Gold Coast and Abu Dhabi race), who was kept honest by Germany’s Laura Lindemann, Jolanda Annen (SUI) and the USA’s Katie Zaferes. But the local crowd helped decide the outcome, cheering Lindemann to a bronze medal in a sprint finish over Zaferes.
Duffy’s win also knocked Gwen Jorgensen’s biggest sprint winning margin, from London 2014, off the top spot, with a gap of 31 seconds the new benchmark.
Sophie Coldwell was the top-finishing Brit in 11th, Lucy Hall 14th and Jess Learmonth 17th.
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Duffy, who remains unbeaten in 2017, now stands fourth in the overall standings, behind Kasper in third, Gentle in second and Zaferes in first.
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The 2017 Hamburg men’s WTS race came down to a 5km blast-out, with almost the entire field having sat in for the six-lap 20km bike.
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Heading the standings going into the fifth race of the season was Spain’s Fernando Alarza, looking for his first victory of 2017 having collected a string of silver and bronze finishes to date. But a crash at the end of lap one of the bike leg, coming through transition over the blue carpet, cut those hopes short.
With the remaining top four in the standings – Spain’s Mario Mola and Javier Gomez, GB’s Thomas Bishop and South Africa’s Henri Schoeman – left in the mix, the final 5km would provide the viewing public with the race they’d been expecting.
In the first half kilometre, reigning world champ, defending champ and two-time 2017 WTS winner Mola took his place at the front where he remained to the finish line; compatriot Gomez (and 2017 Abu Dhabi victor) running into second before the end of the first lap.
Trading places with New Zealand’s Ryan Sissons throughout, Gomez started to drop off the pace with just 300m to go, eventually crossing the line in fifth behind Jacob Birtwhistle (AUS), who outsprinted Sissons for silver, and France’s Vincent Luis in fourth. For ITU stalwart Sissons, 30, Hamburg was his first WTS podium finish.
GB’s Tom Bishop was the top-finishing Brit in 12th, and stays fourth in the overall standings, where Mola has now succeeded Alarza for the top spot. Gomez remains in third position.
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Next up in the 2017 WTS is Edmonton on 28-29 July.
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The organisers of the new Super League Triathlon, which debuted in Australia in March, have announced that Jersey will be the second location of the event. Fifty of the world’s leading male and female triathletes, including 25 Olympians from around the world, will compete in the Channel Islands, UK, for the Super League Triathlon crown from 23-24 September 2017.
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The men’s line-up will include the Brownlee brothers, Spain’s Javier Gomez Noya and Mario Mola Diaz, and Richard Murray from South Africa, who won the first event, as well as 20 other leading men’s triathletes.
The women’s racing will see leading Brits including Vicky Holland, Jodie Stimpson, Lucy Hall and Non Stanford taking on reigning ITU world champ Flora Duffy of Bermuda, Olympic bronze medallist Erin Densham from Australia and the current American World Triathlon Series leader Katie Zaferes, among many other leading female triathletes.
The Super League Triathlon event in Jersey is offering equal prize money of $130,000 for both the men and women triathletes. Super League Triathlon co-founder Michael Dhulst commented: “With $130,000 in prize money on offer at Super League Jersey, it’s high-stakes, high-octane racing with huge consequences for any mistakes. This is a sensational race course and an incredible location for spectators.”
The Men’s Event
Commenting on the men’s rivalries, two-time Ironman world champion and Super League Triathlon co-founder Chris ‘Macca’ McCormack said: “The Brownlee brothers have been the gold standard, and they respect long-term rival Javier Gomez Noya. The new wave of rivalry is coming from Richard Murray and Mario Mola Diaz. The new athletes to look for are Jake Birtwhistle and Ben Dijkstra.”
Jonny Brownlee, who was sidelined for the debut Hamilton Island event due to injury, will debut the number 05 race suit in Jersey. Jonny commented: “I had to miss Hamilton Island because of injury but I watched the races and know that the Super League Triathlon format will suit me as an athlete. Jersey will be brilliant, with the conditions not as humid as Hamilton Island, and I’m looking forward to racing Super League there for the first time.”
South African Richard Murray flourished under the new Super League Triathlon format, winning the title in Australia. Murray commented: “Super League Hamilton Island changed triathlon racing and showed fans how exciting it can be when showcased properly. I can’t wait for round two at Super League Jersey. Athletes and fans should expect wild, exciting and full speed racing from the fastest triathletes in the world. It’s big gear, no fear! I’m planning for this event already. My competitors will need to turn up in peak condition. I’m ready for them!”
The Women’s Event
“Super League Jersey will see the world’s finest female triathletes enter the fray of Super League Triathlon for the first time alongside their male counterparts. Like the male professional fields, the best female athletes from short and long course racing will face-off in a best-of-the-best battle. Separate races will be conducted for the male and female fields each day,” said Super League Triathlon Co-Founder Leonid Boguslavsky.
Twenty-five elite female athletes will be announced soon to take part in Super League Triathlon Jersey, including 2016 World Triathlon Series Champion Flora Duffy from Bermuda, and Rio 2016 Bronze medalist Vicky Holland from the UK. Vicky commented: “Having spent a lot of this season sidelined due to injury, the prospect of being back on a start line to race in Jersey in September is really motivating.”
Jodie Stimpson missed Olympic selection despite being a Dual Commonwealth Games gold medallist. The British women are the world leaders at the moment. Jodie missed out to Non Stanford and Vicky Holland who went on to finish 3rd and 4th at the games. Despite not being true rivals, they have to compete against each other for Commonwealth and Olympic selection for Tokyo and Gold Coast as there is a very high chance of a gold medal for the UK in these events. You also have a young new star in Sophie Coldwell. This is a friendly but tense rivalry because of the depth in UK women’s triathlon.
Race Format
Saturday’s Triple Mix format will see athletes complete three stages of competition with alternating sequences and a ten-minute break in between stages. Stage 1 is swim-bike-run, Stage 2 is run-bike-swim, and Stage 3 is bike-swim- run. The winner of Triple Mix is the athlete with the lowest time across the three stages.
Sunday’s Eliminator format will again be conducted in three stages each in a swim-bike-run format with a ten-minute break in between. Eliminator is about speed and strategy with athletes finishing 16th and above in Stage 1 being eliminated; they do not progress to Stage 2. Athletes finishing 11th and above in Stage 2 are eliminated and do not progress to Stage 3. Stage 3 sees the remaining ten athletes battle it out for the Eliminator title.
On both days racing will take place in the afternoon, with racing between 2pm and 6pm each day.
McCormack added: “Super League Hamilton Island changed triathlon forever. The made-for-television racing is exciting, action-packed and full of entertainment. It set the stage for the forthcoming season, which comprises four events, all to be held in iconic destinations around the world between September and April.”
All racing will be broadcast live with programming distributed across international broadcast partners and digital channels making it easy for any fan in any time zone to view programming live or on demand. Full programming schedules will be announced prior to the event.
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Expanding upon the Championship format, Super League Jersey will also feature a corporate triathlon event, offering the opportunity for corporate participants to race on the Super League Triathlon Championship course prior to racing each day. Corporate racing is open exclusively to official corporate package partners. Spectator travel packages will also soon be announced via Super League Jersey’s travel partner, Nirvana Europe.
Ironman have announced that the full 226km distance Ironman UK will remain in Bolton, Greater Manchester, until 2022. Bolton will also continue to host the world’s biggest Ironkids event, with 2,500 children participating annually.
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The announcement comes off the back of a 2017 event, won by Lucy Gossage and Cyril Viennot, which saw over 2,000 athletes finish the 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run finishing in the Bolton town centre. Since moving to Bolton in 2009, the race has grown from 1,500 athletes to over 2,500 each year.
Ironman UK race tips and everything you need to know
“Having just completed another fantastic event in Bolton, we’re delighted to announce that Bolton will remain the home of Ironman UK for the next five years,” said Ironman UK Race Director, Sam Brawn. “This year was just another reminder of why this race and destination has become such a popular choice amongst athletes from all over the UK and the world. The course offers a real challenge and the support from the people of Bolton and surrounding areas is simply incredible.”
The boisterous local support has become a major feature of the race and that’s been recognised by the athletes. In 2016, triathletes voted the Ironman UK bike course as one of the top 10 in the world and fourth best in Europe with the spectator support playing a big part in the ranking.
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Ironman UK 2018 will take place Sunday 15 July, general entries will be available online from 31 July 2017 on www.ironman.com/uk
Bermuda’s Flora Duffy claimed her fourth consecutive WTS win of 2017 on Saturday to head the overall standings with three races to go. The defending champ won with an even bigger margin of victory than in Hamburg two weeks ago, in a time of 1:00:22, a full minute clear of second place Taylor Knibb of America.
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WOMEN’S ROUND-UP
On a warm and sunny day in the Canadian city, 33 women dived into the water for the 750m swim, which was led from the off by Spaniard Carolina Routier. Joined at the first buoy by America’s Summer Cook and Brazil’s Vanessa Lopes, the three of them led the pack out of the water.
But clocking sub-9mins to join the leading trio was the American quartet of Kirsten Kasper, Katie Zaferes, Taylor Spivey and Knibb, as well as Duffy.
Duffy soon made light work of the new 20km bike course, whose new mid-course hill allowed the Bermudan to break away with Knibb, the19-year-old American in only her third-ever WTS race.
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On the final lap, Duffy dug in deep and used her considerable race experience to go it alone into T2 alone, with 12 seconds over Knibb. and a further 90 to the chase pack.
The run then was just a formality for Duffy, cruising to her fourth straight win in a row since returning to racing later than planned due to injury.
Former series leader Zaferes, with the fastest run of the day (17:14), completed the podium.
“It was pretty spot on, so thank you, Edmonton”, said Duffy after her victory. “Taylor (Knibb) is riding super strong at the moment, I have been in a breakaway with her before, in Montreal last year, We worked together really well, but she was so strong I thought she might be running really strong too, so I attacked her on the last hill to get a little buffer”.
MEN’S ROUND-UP
A furious sprint in the last kilometre gave Spaniard Mario Mola his fourth victory of the 2017 WTS season. Second place went to Australian Jake Birtwhistle (10 secs behind), while South African Richard Murray claimed bronze.
The race started with Slovakia’s Richard Varga leading the 750m swim. Only a couple of seconds behind him, a strong group of swimmers followed, including GB’s Jonny Brownlee back on the start line having had to withdraw from Hamburg due to a magnesium definciency.
In a repeat of Hamburg, the 20km bike leg became a procession as alost the entire field raced together. Continuous lead changes saw them arrive into T2 together, with all to be decided on the run.
But again, it was defending champ Mola who demonstrated that he’s the one to beat this season. Not that he had it easy, as his training mate Jake Birtwhistle flew past him with two laps to go.
It didn’t faze the Spaniard, who kept to his own pace, pushing hard on the last kilometre and retaking the lead ahead of Birtwhistle, who claimed his third silver medal in his WTS career and showcased the best run of the day (14:45). In the battle for bronze, South Africa’s Richard Murray finished third, 8secs ahead of Brownlee.
“I feel fantastic. I did the best I could, I won another sprint distance, so I think I am performing better, doing better on the swim and doing a better performance overall”, said Mola, who has won two sprint races in a row. “I saw Jake moving on the second lap and I thought it was the end of the world, but I could get back to win”, he said.
Bermuda’s Flora Duffy claimed her fourth consecutive WTS win of 2017 on Saturday to head the overall standings with three races to go. The defending champ won with an even bigger margin of victory than in Hamburg two weeks ago, in a time of 1:00:22, a full minute clear of second place Taylor Knibb of America.
WOMEN’S ROUND-UP
On a warm and sunny day in the Canadian city, 33 women dived into the water for the 750m swim, which was led from the off by Spaniard Carolina Routier. Joined at the first buoy by America’s Summer Cook and Brazil’s Vanessa Lopes, the three of them led the pack out of the water.
But clocking sub-9mins to join the leading trio was the American quartet of Kirsten Kasper, Katie Zaferes, Taylor Spivey and Knibb, as well as Duffy.
Duffy soon made light work of the new 20km bike course, whose new mid-course hill allowed the Bermudan to break away with Knibb, the 19-year-old American in only her third-ever WTS race.
On the final lap, Duffy dug in deep and used her considerable race experience to go it alone into T2 alone, with 12 seconds over Knibb. and a further 90 to the chase pack.
The run then was just a formality for Duffy, cruising to her fourth straight win in a row since returning to racing later than planned due to injury.
Former series leader Zaferes, with the fastest run of the day (17:14), completed the podium.
“It was pretty spot on, so thank you, Edmonton”, said Duffy after her victory. “Taylor (Knibb) is riding super strong at the moment, I have been in a breakaway with her before, in Montreal last year, We worked together really well, but she was so strong I thought she might be running really strong too, so I attacked her on the last hill to get a little buffer”.
MEN’S ROUND-UP
A furious sprint in the last kilometre gave Spaniard Mario Mola his fourth victory of the 2017 WTS season. Second place went to Australian Jake Birtwhistle (10 secs behind), while South African Richard Murray claimed bronze.
The race started with Slovakia’s Richard Varga leading the 750m swim. Only a couple of seconds behind him, a strong group of swimmers followed, including GB’s Jonny Brownlee back on the start line having had to withdraw from Hamburg due to a magnesium definciency.
In a repeat of Hamburg, the 20km bike leg became a procession as alost the entire field raced together. Continuous lead changes saw them arrive into T2 together, with all to be decided on the run.
But again, it was defending champ Mola who demonstrated that he’s the one to beat this season. Not that he had it easy, as his training mate Jake Birtwhistle flew past him with two laps to go.
It didn’t faze the Spaniard, who kept to his own pace, pushing hard on the last kilometre and retaking the lead ahead of Birtwhistle, who claimed his third silver medal in his WTS career and showcased the best run of the day (14:45). In the battle for bronze, South Africa’s Richard Murray finished third, 8secs ahead of Brownlee.
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“I feel fantastic. I did the best I could, I won another sprint distance, so I think I am performing better, doing better on the swim and doing a better performance overall”, said Mola, who has won two sprint races in a row. “I saw Jake moving on the second lap and I thought it was the end of the world, but I could get back to win”, he said.
Great Britain’s paratriathletes produced strong performances to win two gold, four silver and a bronze medal in the final World Paratriathlon Series (WPS) race of the season in Edmonton, Canada. Gold medals came from Iraq veteran, Steve Crowley, and former England Cerebral Palsy footballer, Ryan Taylor.
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In his first WPS event, Steve Crowley, led from gun to tape to win gold in the men’s PTS4 category. Crowley commented: “It feels great to have taken part in my first World Series race and, more importantly, to have secured the win. Hopefully the points will help to secure an automatic start for the World Championships later this year.”
It was also gold for Rio Paralympian, Ryan Taylor, now competing in the PTS3 category. After a period of illness a couple of months ago, Taylor was delighted to take the victory in Edmonton: “I had one of my best swims in a triathlon and pushed hard on the bike on a tough course. I had a controlled run and so I’m very happy to take the gold medal.”
In the women’s PTS5, Paralympic silver medallist, Lauren Steadman, took silver behind Paralympic champion, Grace Norman from the USA. Four women exited T1 together, including Steadman and Rio Paralympic champion swimmer, Claire Cashmore. Steadman entered the transition from bike to run in the lead before the fast running Norman pulled away.
Cashmore fought hard on the run to finish fourth, just 12secs behind bronze in her first WPS event after taking up paratriathlon earlier this year.
There were also silver medals for Rio Paralympians, George Peasgood (PTS5) and Joe Townsend (PTWC), who both finished behind the Paralympic silver medallists in their respective categories.
Dave Ellis and his guide, Jack Peasgood won Great Britain’s fourth silver medal in the PTVI category. Despite a strong swim, Ellis and Peasgood were unable to match the bike power of American, Aaron Scheidies, who is unbeaten in ITU competition since Ellis won the World Championships in 2013.
Also making her WPS debut for Great Britain, Fran Brown took the bronze medal in the women’s PTS2 category.
ITU Edmonton World Paratriathlon; Friday 28 July 2017; 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run:
GOLD (2)
Steve Crowley, PTS4
Ryan Taylor, PTS3
SILVER (4)
Lauren Steadman, PTS5
George Peasgood, PTS5
Joe Townsend, PTWC
Dave Ellis, PTVI (guide Jack Peasgood)
BRONZE (1)
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Fran Brown, PTS2
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