The eyes of France were set today on the towering figure of Alexis Hanquinquant, a man that has won every single Para triathlon race he has started in the last seven years. And today it was not any different, just louder. Hanquinquant, flag bearer of the French team in the 2024 Paralympic Games, reigned supreme in Paris to claim his second Paralympic gold of his career. Silver on the day was for USA’s Carson Clough, one of the upcoming talents of the PTS4 class, while another rising star, Spain’s Nil Riudavets Victory rounded up the podium.

Now 38 years old, Hanquinquant knew that today he had a date with destiny, and the Frenchman delivered in am impressive way, cheered by the thousands of spectators that crowded the streets around Pont Alexandre III ready to see him doing his famous side kick when grabbing the finish tape.

Things were looking good for Hanquinquant from the beginning, delivering an impressive swim that saw him out of the water almost ten seconds ahead of Michael Taylor (GBR) and with another Frenchman, Gregoire Berthon, in third place.

The bike was another imperial march for Hanquinqant, opening a lead that was just impossible for anyone else on the field to close. By the time he had finished the five laps of the bike course on the cobblestones of the French capital, he had almost two minutes of clear space. Behind him, his two teammates Gregoire Berthon and Pierre-Antoine Baele were battling with USA’s Carson Clough for the two remaining spots on the podium.

Hanquinquant stormed through the second transition and started the run accompanied by the rar of the crowds, loud enough to clearly spot where he was at any point of the run course. The Frenchman made it to the blue carpet by himself, with nought time to enjoy the moment, clap some hands, grab a french flag and do his famous side-kick before grabbing the tape to claim the Paralympic gold.

“I’m super happy. This is incredible. It’s been a beautiful race. All the ingredients were there to make it work today. My family is here. It’s important to win in front of my family,” he said, after rossing the finish line. “Tokyo 2020 was amazing. It meant a lot for me to be able to pull it off and to get that gold there. I felt there was a very different mindset today because I already had a gold. The goal today was to perform. I knew I was the favourite, but I just wanted to perform as well as possible. I’m happy it led to gold. There was a lot of emotions today,” he explained.

Second on the line was Carson Clough (USA), on his Paralympic debut. “It was painful. I was dying out there on the swim, bike and run. So I was pretty stoked to get to the finish line. It’s been incredible. I have 50, 60 people that bought plane tickets to come watch me and support me and my teammates. I heard them at every different part of the track. When the last two laps on the bike got tough and I did a tiring run, I was just thinking of names and the people that couldn’t come and were still supporting me. Alexis earned what he’s got. He’s an incredible athlete. I did everything in my power to try and catch him. That would’ve been a fun little story. But he made it. I couldn’t do it. I got to give him kudos,” he said.

Bronze was for another Paralympic debutant, Nil Riudavets (ESP), who delivered an impressive run -ten seconds faster than Hanquinquant’s split- to claim the bronze medal. “It was really difficult. I was sixth when I finished the bike and then had to pass three great runners. I had run with a lot of concentration to make sure I would be as fast as possible. It was really fun to get the medal”, he explained.

The other frenchmen, Baele and Berthon, rounded the top five in fourth and fifth place respectively.

The 2024 season has not been an easy one for defending Paralympic champion Susana Rodriguez (ESP) and her guide Sara Perez Sala, but the Spanish doctor managed to find back the racing feeling just when it matters more to claim on an impressive way the Paris 2024 PTVI Para triathlon crown. Silver on the day was a Paralympics debutant, Francesca Tarantello (ITA), while the bronze medal was for Germany’s Anja Renner.

Rodriguez has been the dominant force in the women’s visually impaired races from 2019 to 2023, claiming almost every possible title since then. After finishing 5th on her Paralympic debut in Rio, she became the leader of the new generation. With five world titles, four European titles and a Paralympic gold already under her belt, she was on a mision today to defend her title. But she knew things would not be easy.

Lining up next to her was the current World Champion, Francesca Tarantello, only 22 years old. Bursting on to the scene with in 2022, the Italian has developed the bike and run to match her strong swim and toed the start line full of confidence for a career-defining performance.

Rodriguez looked focused before diving in the Seine river for the 750m swim, knowing that Tarantello -a PTVI B3 class athlete, and therefore starting three and a half minutes after the Spaniard- will be chasing hard. Rodriguez was first out of the water, and chasing her was a second Italian, Anna Barbaro, with Tarantello claiming the fastest swim split of the day, although almost two minutes behind Rodriguez.

But the moment Susana and her guide, Sara Perez Sala, were on their tandem, the gap started to increase lap after lap. Behind them, both Irish sisters, Judith MacCombe and Chloe MacCombe and Germany’s Anja Renner were the only ones capable of following the speedy Spaniard, although both Italians and Annouk Courzillat (FRA) were still fighting for the second to fourth places.

Rodiguez made it to the second transition by herself, and alone they went for the 5km run, a pace that was just too fast for everyone else, to cross the finish line and claim her second Paralympic gold with almost three minutes over the silver medallist.

“You never get tired of winning or being at the start line. This one has been really special, because it’s been really hard since Tokyo 2020. We (her and her guide) had a lot of challenges, physically and mentally. I’m very proud of Sara, because exactly three months ago we had a very big bike crash riding 70 kilometres an hour. We were lucky we didn’t have bad consequences for our bodies. But mentally it’s been hard to ride the tandem again. I feel very proud of her,” explained Rodriguez.

Second on the finish line was Tarantello with her guide Silvia Visaggi. “I’m very satisfied about this result, and excited, too, because it’s my first Paralympic Games. I’m very happy. I want to congratulate (gold medallist) Susana Rodriguez because she’s a fantastic athlete. She’s an example for me and for everyone.”

Winner of the Test Event last summer Anja Renner managed to claim the last spot on the podium with an outstanding run that was enough to keep her ahead of Allison Peasgood (GBR), who finished in the fourth place, while Courzillat (FRA) rounded the top five. 

Great Britain’s Dave Ellis won the first Paralympic gold of an already glittering career on Monday afternoon in Paris, searing clear of his rivals over the final 5km run to take the tape alongside his long-term guide Luke Pollard.

The duo motored through the 750m swim to almost completely offset the time difference to the B1 athletes by the time they made it back to the ramp in the face of a strong Seine current.

Ellis was able to pass Antoine Perel B1 early on the bike into the lead, only for Owen Cravens B3 to hit the front him late on, but the American had to serve a penalty on the run that effectively ended his medal hopes. Regardless, Ellis was unstoppable from the moment he pulled on his shoes and hit the 5km run, clocking a rapid 16m18s to win the gold by over a minute from Frenchman Thibaut Rigaudeau and compatriot Antoine Perel as they fired up the crowds with silver and bronze respectively.

“We just fixed any chance of the thing that happened in Tokyo happening again, and obviously we’ve raced for years now on all the equipment we used today. So, we were really confident in our set up. It just meant we could hit the bike course really hard and have no fear,” said Ellis. “It was always a dream (to get a Paralympic medal). I never thought it would come true to be fair. I kept going and grinding and working hard. It was a tough race, maybe the hardest race ever.”

“I don’t think there have been many people that have stuck around and worked so hard and believed in himself, said his guide Pollard. “Dave is a cut above the rest in terms of his self-belief and having the determination and drive.”

It was a noisy crowd that greeted the PTVI men to the start pontoon for the day’s third main session, Rigaudeau and Perel’s names being chanted out across the stunning river start at Pont Alexandre III.

The first wave of B1 (most-impaired) athletes set out at midday, Japan’s Satoru Yoneoka B1 leading the way as they passed the buoys and came back into the head-on current.

Yoneoka was the first athlete out of the water, USA’s Kyle Coon B1 right on his heels along with Perel, Cravens a minute back with Rigaudeau and GB’s Oscar Kelly B2, Australia’s medal hope Sam Harding B2 and guide Aaron Royle out of the water in ninth position.

Perel was quickly into the lead on the first lap of the bike, Ellis working his way up into second, Cravens staying in touch, while the Spaniard Hector Catala Laparra B2 crashed out and his race was over before it had a chance to take shape.

Cravens was able to take the lead so that at the bell there was nothing to separate him and the rest of the top four in Ellis, Perel and Rigaudeau as they hit transition for the last time.

In a flash, Ellis was passed Perel on the way out of transition, Cravens up into third but having to stop to serve a 10s penalty for a helmet violation that effectively ended his medal hopes.

Harding was picking his way through the field and up into fifth, but up ahead it was the Dave Ellis show, taking the tape with a combination of delight and relief over a minute ahead of second-placed Rigaudeau, Perel with bronze just 20 seconds back and ahead of Cravens and Harding.

QUOTES:
Thibaut Rigaudeau (silver)
“It was an amazing race. I had all my family on the side of the road. It was just crazy. Everybody was shouting, we couldn’t hear each other (he and his guide). It was crazy but that’s what pushed us. We never saw that before and we will probably never see it again. It’s a special day.”

“Usually, on the bike we are the strongest but the American pushed very hard. They dropped us off. We are not used to that. We had to dig very deep to take second place. We only put a gap in on the last lap. It was very, very, very hard. We had to push to maximum.”

Antoine Perel (bronze)
“It’s incredible. I really hoped and wished for a medal today. To do it at home is amazing. Bronze to me means gold.”

“I’m very happy with the result. Triathlon is a hard sport. At home it is maybe even harder. It was cool to have so many spectators around.”

For full results, click here.

Impeccable throughout the qualification cycle, the USA’s Grace Norman produced exactly the performance she needed to win the second Paralympic gold of her career on Monday afternoon in Paris, coming out on top of another see-saw battle of the best in the PTS5 category.

It was yet another epic battle between her and the British pair of Claire Cashmore and Lauren Steadman for the medals, and one that she took decisively on the run, Cashmore passing her teammate early into the 5km to win silver, Steadman with the bronze and Kamylle Frenette of Canada fourth.

“I did not like giving that up in Tokyo (she took silver) - I was fired up for these Games,” said Norman. “The swim was a little different to what I expected. I started and it really didn’t feel like you were going with the current. It just felt hard the whole time. There was a little bit of a bobble around the first turn but we didn’t dunk each other, so that was nice. We’re for fair play.”

“On to the bike, it was a really fun course; those corners, the cobbles, everything was just so electric. So fun. There were people shouting. When I got on to the run I was third, knew I had to put on a pretty tough show, make that gap so I could feel a little more relaxed. I did that in the first mile. And by the end of it I was just taking it all in. I got to pick out my family members and kind of give them a little smile.”

There was little to call between Norman and Cashmore in the water after the chaos of the first 100m, the athletes soon settling into their strokes before negotiating the first current challenge around the buoys.

It was Cashmore by a whisker as they came back to the ramp and towards transition beside the Seine, Steadman 15 seconds back but gaining a fraction on the American getting out onto the bike.

Behind them, Frenette was 20 seconds off Steadman, followed by Poland’s Marta Dzieciatowska.

The front three became even closer over the first laps of the bike as their collective speed took them over 90seconds away from Frenette, Andrea Miguelez Ranz moving into fifth. Norman and Steadman exchanged the lead, Cashmore just a few seconds back as they neared transition.

Once out onto the run, it was to once again prove Norman’s day, however. Steadman led the three out of transition with Cashmore on her heels, but it wasn’t long before the American was able to move to the front and that was precisely where she would stay all the way to the line.

It was a supreme 5km run in a time of just 18m16s that took Norman all the way to a second Paralympic gold and joining her silver in Tokyo, while Cashmore manoeuvred into silver and pulled away from Steadman over the final stages.

Fourth for Kamylle Frenette, fifth for Andrea Miguelez Ranz, Gwladys Lemossu across the line for France in sixth.

QUOTES
Claire Cashmore (silver)
“That crowd was just amazing. I was smiling the whole way round. Obviously, I went in there and I really wanted to win that gold. But I still feel a massive amount of relief I managed to pick up the silver. Grace Norman is just on another level right now. I gave it everything, but it wasn’t quite enough for that gold medal. But to also see my partner Dave win (PTVI) gold… well, I’ve not seen him yet (laughs). I will go find him and give him a hug.

“And then to see my housemate Meg (Megan RICHTER, GBR) win that (PTS4) gold, is amazing. It’s her first Paralympic Games and to see her take the gold has been amazing to see. We’re on fire.”

Lauren Steadman (bronze)
“I had zero expectations today. Covid threw a massive spanner in the works for me. If I would have said to you I would do a hard run a few months ago, I’d be in bed for two days. Just to be on the start line (today) was fantastic. There was a moment last year when I didn’t think I would be (racing) here today.”

“So that medal, I think I’ve had my moment. It was great to get that gold medal three years ago, but crossing the line today was just overwhelming more than anything. It’s taken everything I got to get here. I’m immensely proud of myself.”

For full results, click here.

The USA’s Chris Hammer produced Paralympic magic in Paris on Monday afternoon, the 38-year-old earning a career-first PTS5 gold medal after a monumental closing-stages battle with Brazil’s Ronan Cordeiro and defending champion Martin Schulz of Germany.

Having missed out on the podium by just one place in both Rio and Tokyo, it was to be third time a charm for Hammer, who kept his cool and stayed patient despite exiting the water in 8th place and 90 seconds off the front. Picking his way towards the front over the 20km bike, the American put himself within 20 seconds of the leader Schulz, then detonated a remarkable first lap of three on the run, hitting the front and holding off Cordeiro all the way to the line.

“I don’t know if I truly believed it could be a reality until a few months ago. Now it’s reality,” said a thrilled Hammer. “The last few months were spent up at (high) altitude in Park City, Utah. I’ve never done a dedicated altitude block like that before. I didn’t know if it would work. I guess it did. I never did a work-out that gave me confidence, but my coach kept saying, ‘This will work, once we come down’. And it did.”

“If it wasn’t for those fourth-place finishes, I probably wouldn’t have been as motivated to race this time around. Fourth is painful, and it’s not. It keeps you in the sport. It was all part of the journey that led me here. I will look back on those fourth places fondly now.”

Portugal’s Filipe Marques was a dart in the water for the 750m swim, carving through the current to open up an early 15 second lead over nearest rival Cordeiro in second. Jack Howell (AUS) and Bence Mocsari (HUN) exited right behind the Brazilian, and the pace was on from the opening kilometres of the bike to try and keep the advantage over Hammer as large and as long as possible.

Stefan Daniel and Martin Schulz were also giving chase just under a minute off Marques onto the bike, and they soon began to make headway, Daniel hitting the lead at the halfway mark before an unfortunate crash halted the charge of Canada’s former World Champion.

At that point, just 15 seconds separated the top five, Hammer +40s behind Howell, then Schulz seized his opportunity to take to the front over the last of the five laps from Mocsari who recovered from a crash to maintain his challenge. Hammer was suddenly also well set just 20 seconds back, and out onto the run, was a man on a mission.

1km in, Hammer was alongside Cordeiro and Schulz, then the German tired just as Hammer hit the turbo once again. This time there was no response from the Brazilian, and Hammer was able to hit the blue carpet alone and soak up the moment he had waited for. It was a massive silver too for Cordeiro as he held off Schulz, the German settling for bronze ahead of Marques in fourth and Mocsari in fifth.

QUOTES:
Ronan Cordeiro (silver)
“It was incredible out there. Everything went well for me. It was a tough and aggressive course and I knew there was a chance of missing out on the podium because of that. The only way to make it happen, was to go with all I had. I really had to push, push, push. That really is what I did. Becoming the first triathlete of Brazil to win a medal at the Paralympics, is amazing. It means a lot to me. Especially because this sport is not so big in Brazil. To break that barrier and to win a medal is important. It shows that it is possible. I think it will open doors and it will show others that they can dream of winning a medal. This is only the beginning for Brazilian triathlon.”

Martin Schulz (bronze)
“The race was tough today. There were a lot of great athletes competing. It was hard, so maybe that’s the reason why I’m still happy with a bronze. It’s a medal at least, but obviously I wish I had won my third gold here.

“There was a lot of pressure going into these Games as the two-time champion. Everyone was talking about me winning that third gold. Maybe it was a bit too much. Maybe it got me. I was the flag bearer for Germany and that cost some stress and pressure, too. Everyone has been watching me. It’s difficult. I felt the pressure. It’s been tough. Of course I really wanted to win again, but it just didn’t happen today.”

For the full men’s PTS5 results, click here.

Britain’s Megan Richter arrived in Paris as one of the newcomers to the PTS4 women’s field, and she left with the 2024 Paralympic title after a superb run to the gold on Monday afternoon in the French capital.

Richter was dominant on the swim - her background as a Paralympic swimmer indeed helped - and then again on the run to beat Spain’s Marta Frances Gomez, who crossed the line with pure delight in second place. The bronze was won by a second Brit, former World Champion Hannah Moore, completing her return to the sport’s front line in this Paralympic cycle.

“I can’t believe it,” said Richter. “I am so proud and so grateful to everyone who helped me get here. I am still in absolute shock. I just stuck to my plan. I kind of knew what was going on in the race. I started panicking a bit on the bike, I didn’t know where I was but as I started to realise where the race was going, I started relaxing.”

With five PTS3 athletes classing up to join the PTS4, and no Kelly Elmlinger after the American pre-race favourite was forced out due to illness, the race with the biggest field of the day was wide open from the start of the 750m swim.

Starting with the current, it was Australian youngster Grace Brimelow setting the pace in the water, carving her way around the buoys successfully as the flow tried to keep taking the athletes downstream.

Hannah Moore was also going well, Mexico’s Kenia Yesenia Villalobos Vargas keeping in touch with those trying to keep the margin to the leaders to a minimum as they hit the first transition.

Spain’s Marta Frances Gomez soon set about hoovering up the gap as quickly as possible on the 20km bike, but it was Moore and Richter proving too hot to handle up ahead.

Elise Marc was holding her own in the middle of the field and giving the French plenty to cheer along with Camille Seneclauze as Moore hit the front and suddenly found 45 seconds of precious daylight behind her to her compatriot.

Richter was quicker in transition and had the momentum, while Frances was a further minute back at the start of the run before starting to reel in Moore.

By halfway through the 5km, Richter had a lead she would never relinquish, taking the tape by a full 40 seconds from the flying Marta Frances in second, Moore with third ahead of Seneclauze and Marc in fourth and fifth.

QUOTES:
Marta Francés Gómez (silver)
“It’s amazing. Running here in Paris… I feel like everyone led me to the finish line today. I’m just so happy I was able to compete here. Beforehand, I thought, ‘What would I feel if I would win a medal?’ During the run I just thought, ‘I need to run as fast as possible. I can do more. I can get a medal.’”

I’m thinking of my parents. I did it for them. I want to give them a big hug, but I don’t know where they are.”

Hannah Moore (bronze)
“It’s really crazy to be here. Honestly, I still can’t quite believe what happened. The crowds were incredible, not like anything I’ve ever experienced before, just too many people just screaming for you. To see so many people out to watch para sport on a Monday morning in Paris is crazy.”

“I enjoyed swimming in it (the Seine). It’s a course that really suited me. It is great to have more and more people in the sport and to have such a strong PTS4 (GBR) field here, with two men, two women. It shows how the sport is growing.”

Daniel Molina’s run proved one again to be a decisive one, this time worth a Paralympic gold medal on Monday morning in Paris. The experienced Spaniard, with over a decade of racing on his shoulders - delivered an impressive run to beat Germany’s Max Gelhaar at 25 years Molina’s junior - in the PTS3 men’s race of the 2024 Paralympic Games on the debut of the class in the Paralympic programme. Bronze on the day was for the Netherlands’ Nico Van Der Burgt, who gave the Dutch team the third medal of the day.

Molina knew that it would take a lot of patience to win the Paralympic gold, but a solid swim kept him in contention throughout the first segments of the race.

Molina was indeed the first one to exit the water, but followed closely by Nico Van Der Burgt and with the member of the Refugee team Ibrahim Al Hussein. The three of them opened a small break with Gelhaar chasing them hard. In fact, the German quickly moved up before hitting the second transition in first place, with the Dutchman right at his feet.

But when it all came to the run, Molina knew he had more chances than anyone. The Spaniard delivered one of his signature runs to move back to the lead of the race before the end of the second lap to then cross the finish line all smiles to earn the Paralympic gold.

“I feel very, very happy. Today has been the best day of my sporting career. Everything went really well”, explained a delighted Molina, who was congratulated by Queen Letizia of Spain in the mixed zone. Talking about how it felt to be rcing at the paralympics twinty years after he made his debut in Athens 2004, in para athletics, he said: “I just wanted to enjoy it, to go for it. Of course, I knew I was in with a chance. I went in with a very different mindset (compared with Athens 2004). It was all about the gold. From the beginning, this was my goal and I made it happen. This is just the greatest feeling ever.”

Second on the line was Gelhaart, who was indeed “extremely happy about the silver medal”. “It was a good race for me. The first meters of the swim were very hard for me. But after the first point it was OK. On the bike I could go into the first position. The cobblestones are not my biggest problem. The run was OK.”

“It’s very nice. You never know what to expect, because a lot of strong guys are competing. I know I’m quite good at the swim and bike events, so after the cycling I know what the gap with the others would be - then I know what’s possible. After the cycling, I knew I would be able to bring that medal home if I didn’t do anything crazy, like tripping over my own feet in the run. I gave it my all and I’m happy to be here with that (bronze) medal,” explained Van der Burgt, bronze medallist.

The chocolate medal was for UK’s Henry Urand, one of the newcomers of the sport, who also had the the second fastest bike and run splits on the day but not enough to overcome the four minutes deficit he had on the water.

Cedric Denuziere (FRA) rounded the top five, whith Al Hussein finishing in a remarkable 6th place and another Spaniard, Diego Lardón Ferrer, in 7th.  Korea’s double-arm-amputee Hwang Tae Kim, for whom the swim in the Seine is a titanic effort, managed to cross the finish line in 10th place.

It was to be another classic showdown in the women’s PTS2 Paralympic races on Monday morning in Paris, and emerging on top of the best in the business was USA’s Hailey Danz, scoring her first Paralympic gold in fine style.

Out of the water right alongside her major challengers Veronica Yoko Plebani, Melissa Stockwell and Allysa Seely, it was Danz’s incredible bike power that proved decisive, opening up the huge gap that she knew she would need on the run.

Out onto the final 5km segment, Italian star Plebani tried to reel the American in but was thrilled to hold off the defending champion Seely and secure silver after her bronze in Tokyo, Seely having to settle for an exhausted bronze.

“It’s gonna take a bit to sink in, I’ve wanted this for so long,” said a beaming Danz. “There have just been so many setbacks and challenges along the way. And like, I don’t know, the voice of doubt was really loud the last couple of months. I kind of set up my training so that I was peaking here. I saw some performances earlier in the summer where I would just kind of question if it really was on the right track and what I needed to do.”

“I really just had to trust the process, trust my coach. Trust that the plan that we put in place was going to get me to peak today. And that was hard to do, but I did it. The plan worked. I had the best race of my life today. I tried to let it soak in. We were in such a special venue. Over the course of the race I just had to pause for a couple of moments and take in this incredible place that we’re in. Seeing my family, my girlfriend, my whole staff and teammates in the stands bringing me in.”

At the end of a punishing 750m swim, and headlong into a stiff current on the return portion, there was nothing to call between the top four, Danz making the quickest progress into transition ahead of Seely and Plebani as Stockwell dropped back in pre-transition and was never able to recover the lost time.

The course of the race settled into its rhythm after two of five laps, Danz absolutely flying and fearless into the corners to carve out 40 seconds to Seely and Plebani, the Italian then able to work clear into second over the second half of the 20km bike, Stockwell now two minutes adrift.

Australia’s Anu Francis smashed the bike to pass Seely late on and start the medal hunt 2m30s back out of T2, the American defending champion now three minutes off Danz who started to believe more with every passing kilometre.

Plebani was on a mission to reach her, but the gap off the bike was unassailable. Seely was now back in the hunt for the silver, too, having passed Francis, but Plebani was too strong. As she turned the corner for the blue carpet, Danz was taking the tape with a huge smile, Italy’s bronze medallist in Tokyo thrilled to be upgrading to silver, Seely settling for a hard-fought bronze ahead of Francis, Stockwell in fifth ahead of France’s Cecile Saboreau.

QUOTES:
Veronica Yoko Plebani (Silver)
“I’m just so proud of myself. I’m really amazed by what I did in the race. When I was running the last lap. I saw my dad and my coach, they were telling me I could do it. Then I knew I could. I started crying long before the finish line.”

“You know what I thought? I thought about the dress I prepared for my party tonight. And that was a silver one. So (maybe) I already knew, but also I didn’t know (laughs). It’s so stupid, but at the same time, there was a part of me that knew I could do it. I’m amazed. Triathlon is such a hard sport to train, especially with our type of disabilities. It’s hard to be in constant training. I’m just proud of the journey that took me here. One year ago it was really hard to even think I would be here. So I’m so happy and thankful.”

Allysa Seely (bronze)
“From the moment I woke up this morning I just wasn’t feeling my best. Not sure what it was. Today, I can just chalk it up, I didn’t race my best. In the water I actually felt really great and came out in a really good position, exactly where I thought I needed to be. The cobbles on the bike were really hard when you have a neurological disability. It really messes with your brain and your muscles and I couldn’t recover from that on the run to have the run I knew I needed to have.”

The smile on Jetze Plat’s face when he crossed the finish line over the Alexandre III bridge was as immense as his Paralympic medal collection. The Dutchman was again unstoppable, and delivered a master class to claim -for the third consecutive time- the gold medal on the Men’s PTWC race of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Silver on the day was for Florian Brungraber (AUT), while Plat’s teammate Geert Schipper managed to hold on and claim the bronze medal.

Italy’s Guiseppe Romele delivered an impressive swim and was the first to get out of the 750m swim on the Seine river, where the current was slightly slower than in the previous days, but unfortunately for him all the time he gained in the water turned into a disaster as he didn’t follow the prescribed course right out of the first transition, a movement that will end up with his disqualification.

Plat was only 1 minute behind the leader out of the water, despite the interval start in this class that has Plat -and all the H2 athletes- starting the race three minutes after the H1 class. But from the moment he was on the handbike, the Dutchman started a frantic chase and by the time the men were on the second lap of the bike course, he was already leading the race.

From that moment, it did look like a déjà vu, with the rest of the field battling for the other two positions on the podium. Brungraber made up some ground and moved to the second place before heading to the second transition, while behind him, Schipper and Romele were battling up close for the third place.

It will end up being Schipper who would hold on to the third place, despite a malfunction on his handbike that had him with only one gear for most part of the cycling segment.

After another flawless run from Plat, the Dutch crossed the finish line in the first place to claim his third consecutive gold medal at the Paralympics. “I’m mostly just relieved. Now I’m already focusing on my next competitions. I’m looking at the bigger picture. There’s still some pressure and stress”, said the Dutch, who is targetting a total of four medals in Paris, including Para triathlon, Road cycling, time trial in cycling and marathon, all og them in the next 5 days.

“Today felt like a bit more than (just) a warm-up. There was a running clock to go with it, so I still had to go fast (laughs). I was a bit nervous for the swim today. Luckily, I am quite a good swimmer, so I could use my power in the event. On the way back (on the swim), the sun was quite low so it was a bit difficult to navigate.  But at some point (on the run segment), I actually started to think about the cycling road events already, because I knew I was winning,” he said.

Silver medal was for a delighted Brungraber, who repeated the same place he got in Tokyo 2020. “This means a lot. I have worked for this for three years. I hoped this race would look just like it did today. It’s a pleasure for me to reach second place. For sure it is a good result”, he explained.

Not so happy with his result was Schipper, despite the bronze medal to add to his tally. “To be honest, I rather would have had the silver medal. It was possible. That’s what I’m a bit bummed about. On the other hand, I didn’t want to finish outside the medals here, because that happened in Tokyo (where he finished fourth). I just wanted to get a medal and at least I made that happen”, he said.

Fourth on the day was Louis Noel (FRA), followed closely by Giovanni Achenza (ITA), who rounded the top five. On his sixth Paralympic Games, Nic Beveridge (AUS) crossed the finish line in sixth place, while seventh position was for Fethi Zouinkhi (TUN), one of the receipents of the World Triathlon Development grants.

Monday morning on the banks of the River Seine saw Frenchman Jules Ribstein take the crowd volume up to 11 as he delivered a supreme golden performance to become the men’s Paris 2024 Paralympic Triathlon Champion in the PTS2 category.

Out of the water right with USA’s Mark Barr and Wim de Paepe of Belgium, there was nobody who could get close to him on the bike, even the flying Dutchman Maurits Morsink too far back out of the water to make a meaningful dent on his lead.

With Ribstein too far to be caught, it was another American, Mohamed Lahna, out of transition two on a mission to catch de Paepe, reeling him in along with compatriot Mark Barr. Bronze medallist at Rio 2016, Lahna was able to go one better this time around and secured the silver, crossing the line just 15 seconds ahead of Barr.

“For the last month and weeks I felt a lot of pressure, and especially the last days in the Village,” said Ribstein. “The French team, we have a lot of emotion to try and do it here in France and win on home soil. It was big, big pressure. But I did the job. It’s all I wanted. Now it’s just relax and champagne and beer.”

“The crowd was my advantage, yeah. I had all my family and friends. It pushed me. I debuted in triathlon at 15 years old and I didn’t think ever one day I would be here in Paris, doing the Paralympics.”

Ribstein wasted no time in setting about his task and secure what he hoped would be the first French gold of the day. Tucking in behind Barr, the pair put together the two fastest swims of the day, the American exiting with 15 seconds’ advantage by the end of the taxing return leg straight into the powerful Seine current.

Wim de Paepe emerged just off Ribstein, Lionel Morales of Spain 40 seconds back, Lahna 85 seconds back as they hit the first transition and out onto the 20km bike.

As Lahna set about his bike with no delay, Mark Barr was unable to match the pace and began to drop back from the tempo set by Ribstein and de Paepe ahead, while Morsink tried to reel in those up ahead.

The Belgian came out of T2 narrowly ahead, but Lahna was at full tilt to set up the battle for silver and bronze with gold looking out of the equation.

In fact, both the Americans were able to move ahead early on the run while, ahead, an assured 19m50s run saw the Paralympic title safely into Ribstein’s hands. An explosive finish line roar at his achievement, Ribstein was a man complete, while Lahna and Barr embraced in completing the podium. Morsink ran his way to fourth, de Paepe taking fifth.

QUOTES
Mohamed Lahna (silver)
“It took eight years to go from third to second; quite the progress. I was a little bit nervous with the delay that we had, but I’m very happy to show the progress and showcase my training for the past eight years. Swimming is not my strength, so I was a bit worried about that, especially coming back against the current. The top swimmers were really ahead of me, so I was chasing on the bike. I had a minute-and-a-half gap to make up and it was not as easy as I expected. I am very happy I finished second. It’s an amazing course, an amazing day. Nothing to complain about.”

Mark Barr
“I’ve been chasing the podium for 20 years, since 2004. Three fourth places, which is the worst place you can get in a race, so to finish on the podium finally is very rewarding. Man, a lot of training, a lot of heartache. I hate having to answer that I’ve never gotten a medal before. Now I can check that box, as a medallist, which is a great feeling to have. I had on my phone, a picture of the podiums that I’ve missed. It was good motivation to push through the dark days of training and keep motivation high.”

There would be no stopping Lauren Parker’s charge for Paralympic gold in Paris as the Australian held off the challenge of USA’s Kendall Gretsch to win by a huge margin on Monday morning.

After the heartbreak of losing a sprint finish to the American in Tokyo, Parker’s determination was written across her every move this time around. The gap was three minutes out of the water and despite shrinking quickly through a breathless first two laps on the handcycle, never really looked like being closed down.

Canadian Leanne Taylor H1 managed to hold off the challenge of Eva Moral Pedrero H1 to win the bronze by 7 seconds.

High drama further back saw a mechanical for Brazil’s Jessica Ferreira H1 end her challenge and Brenda Osnaya Alvarez H1 disqualified for failing to serve a penalty.

Full report to follow.

It was one of the most iconic moments to be forever etched into Tokyo 2020 Games folklore. Having led for the entire women’s PTWC race, Australia’s Lauren Parker was caught right at the line by USA’s Kendall Gretsch. Parker’s seemingly unbreakable grip on the gold medal slipped at the final moment, Gretsch’s determined blue-carpet push proved decisive.

The men’s Tokyo race had been a more one-sided affair, Netherlands’ Jetze Plat taking the tape two minutes ahead of his nearest rival in a typically dominant display. Only once has he been beaten since, and that World Championships silver came having tackled much of the 5km final segment in Pontevedra with a flat tyre to his racing wheelchair.

And so the two defending champions will arrive in Paris for their big show on ready to do their all to write history, Plat as the first PTWC triple Paralympic champion, Gretsch as the first to defend her title. In their ways stand 9 men and 8 women respectively, with the start horn sounding on the men at 08:15am on Monday 2 September, the women five minutes later.

Plat the unstoppable?

Since 2016, only one man has been able to stand in the way of the relentless charge of Jetze Plat H2 and his haul of golds: his teammate Geert Schipper H2. The circumstances of that silver in Pontevedra will be a constant reminder of why Plat will not want to let up for a moment despite his clear credentials as favourite, and why the rest of the field will know they need to be in the best possible position to pounce should the unexpected happen again.

The Dutchman will have been as meticulous as ever in his build up and is a powerhouse over all three segments. That is not to say he cannot be beaten. Schipper also boasts incredible speed on the handcycle and racing wheelchair but will need the race of his life, or possibly some good fortune, if he is to take the big prize in Paris. Fourth in Tokyo, missing out on a medal will have stung after silver at Rio 2016, and should be all the fuel he needs this time around.

Can anyone halt Gretsch and Parker?

The favourites for the women’s gold will again be Lauren Parker H1 and Kendall Gretsch H2. Fired up by that Tokyo finale, the Australian bullet hasn’t lost an individual race since, adding three more world titles to her impressive collection of prizes in the process. As an H1 athlete, Parker will go out 3m38s before Gretsch and the H2 athletes, and will need to be acutely aware of what is happening further back to stay away.

Gretsch was the runner-up in two of those World Championships and last won the title in Rotterdam in 2017. A narrow win over Canada’s Leanne Taylor H1 in Montreal two months ago set the 32-year-old on her final preparations for Paris in the best possible fashion, and summoning all of the spirit she showed in Japan and more will be needed if she is to reel in her rival once again.

Achenza and Brungraber ready to vie for medals

The fastest final segment split of the day earned Austria’s Florian Brungraber H2 the silver in Tokyo, and he will need all that speed if he is to hold off the experienced Giovanni Achenza H1 again this time around. The Italian won his first Para Series gold in Devonport in March and followed it with a Para Cup win in Taranto to underline his form.

Fourth in Taranto but silver medallist at WTPS Montreal, the USA’s 2024 Continental Champion Howie Sanborn H1 makes his Paralympic debut after a decade of racing and Australia’s Nic Beveridge H1 will be aiming to improve on his previous finishes of 7th place at Tokyo 2020 and 9th in Rio 2016.

Spain and Brazil in the women’s medals chase

It was the Spaniard Eva María Moral Pedrero H1 who completed the podium back in Tokyo, taking bronze some eight minutes behind the fireworks up ahead. Crowned European Champion in 2023, wins in both Para Series and Para Cup races so far in 2024 hint at what may be to come in Paris.

Meanwhile, Brazil’s Jessica Ferreira H1 has been on a run of her own in 2024, hoovering up back-to-back bronze medals at the Series level in Yokohama and Montreal. Fourth in Tokyo, she missed out on the podium by around 90 seconds and will want a better swim this time around to help maintain a solid challenge.

For the full start lists, click here.

Following a meeting held on 1 September at 3:30 am attended by representatives of World Triathlon, Paris 2024 and the relevant French authorities involved in monitoring the conditions of the Seine and the weather, the decision has been taken to postpone the Para triathlon competitions which were due to be held on 1 September.

The latest tests show a decrease in water quality in the river following the rain episodes over the last two days. As a result, the water quality at the competition venue on Sunday 1 September is not suitable for swimming and above the threshold established by World Triathlon. It has been decided to schedule all 11 Para triathlon medal events on 2 September. This is subject to the forthcoming water tests complying with the established World Triathlon thresholds for swimming.

Paris 2024 and World Triathlon reiterate that their priority is the health of the athletes and with these conditions, the Para triathlon events cannot take place today. 

Information regarding ticketing will be communicated to ticket holders in the coming hours.

What is an athlete to do in the face of such a seemingly immovable barrier between years of hard work in training and the quest for gold, specifically when that barrier is the mighty Jetze Plat H2?

The men’s wheelchair category in Para triathlon has been dominated by the Dutch powerhouse for a decade. Until last year, every world title since 2017 had been his, two Paralympic titles likewise. Hottest on his heels in Tokyo was Austria’s Florian Brungraber H2, an outstanding final 5km in the racing wheelchair securing the silver ahead of another Dutchman Geert Schipper H2.

Now, Florian is hungry for his next bite at the Paralympic cherry, even if he feels realism is as important as optimism going into the race on Sunday 1 September.

“When you take a realistic view on this issue, then it’s clear that Jetze Plat is the dominator. To beat him during the race, it seems that that he needs to have some technical issues, as was last year at the World Championships. Then you have to be in the area where you can reach him. Last year I was also struggling with my wheel so it was not possible for me, but yeah, it can happen. Not just to him, of course, but if it does, you have to be close.”

“For me, the more interesting competition will be with Geert Schipper. In the last year it was very often quite close between him and me… if my body works, then it could be realistic to beat Schipper. But for sure I think he will also be in good condition, much better condition than he was in Tokyo.”

Florian used to work with his father as handler, now it is his girlfriend who travels with him and supports both around and during the races. The relationship is a vital one in the pressure pot of a Paralympic race, where mistakes can prove costly and F1 pitstop-like efficiency could be the difference between leaving Paris with a Paralympic medal, or simply memories.

“Normally I’m always through transition with my girlfriend, so we are a perfect team. The handler has quite a hard job because the time slot where they can help is quite small, but the impact during the race can be quite big. If you lose five seconds in transition that sounds not that much, but trying to make up five seconds in a race is quite a hard job.”

Then there are the specific challenges of a Paris course that has rarely been out of the headlines. When it comes to the prospect of swimming in the Seine, Florian is in no doubt that the strong current will be a big factor in how the race breaks up early on as the athletes have to make the turn and swim into the flow of water for the second half of the 750m.

“If the current is as fast as we saw it during the Olympic Games, I’m not sure that everyone will handle it. Of course, it is nice to be directly in Paris, but I’m there for the race.”

As an H2 athlete, meaning there is some function in the legs, Florian, along with Plat and Schipper, will start the race three minutes the H1 athletes like Nic Beveridge H1 and Giovanni Achenza H1, and straight into the chase from the start horn.

“… for sure this has an impact during the swim and also during the transitions both in the handbike and wheelchair. Most athletes I cannot reach during the swim. I am sitting there and seeing the athletes swimming for three minutes. That means 200 meters, or with the current much more. Then you realise how much time that is.”

For the full Paralympic schedule and course information, click here.

The visually impaired athletes of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will get underway at midday on Monday 2 September, the third Games outing for the women in the category, the second for the men. All will arrive with huge targets ahead.

For the defending women’s champion Susana Rodriguez B1, a new guide and her ever-present competitive edge will need to be as sharp as ever to make it back-to-back golds at the highest level.

In the men’s race, with no Brad Snyder present to chase his second title, Britain’s Dave Ellis B3 will want to convert his dominance in the sport over recent years to Paralympic gold after suffering a mechanical on the bike in Tokyo that ended his chances.

The men go out at midday with the less-impaired B2 and B3 starting athletes 2m41s after the B1, the women at 12.05pm with the B2 and B3 starting 3m11s after the first horn. For full course info and schedule, click here.

Rodriguez vs Tarantello for the title?

One has been racing for nearly 25 years, has five world titles, four European titles and a Paralympic gold. The other is 22 years old, has been racing at the top level for two years but goes in to the Paris 2024 race as the current World Champion and every bit the Paralympic contender.

Spain’s Rodriguez was the dominant force in the women’s visually impaired races throughout the Tokyo 2020 cycle. After finishing 5th on her Paralympic debut in Rio, she became the leader of the new generation, spearheading a wave of talent and going on an unbeaten run from mid-2019 to 2023. Into Paris with new guide Sara Perez Sala, the pair have quickly become accustomed to racing together, scoring WTPS Montreal gold in the final qualification race of the period.

The woman who beat her last year at the World Championships Pontevedra is Francesca Tarantello B3. Bursting on to the scene with Montreal silver in 2022, the Italian has developed the bike and run to match her strong swim and arrives at her Paralympic debut full of confidence for a career-defining performance.

Test Event winner back in contention

Elsewhere on the start list, Anja Renner B3 of Germany was the winner of the Test Event last summer in her first year at the top of the sport and will be a major medal threat. Chloe MaCcombe B3 of Ireland is a Commonwealth Games medallist ready to hit the next big landmark in her young career and French duo Annouck Curzillat B1 and Heloise Courvoisier B3 will have the crowd right behind their every move. Britain’s hugely experienced Rio 2016 silver medallist Alison Peasgood B2 will also start her third Games.

Ellis has a date with destiny

For Britain’s Dave Ellis, nothing short of gold will surely satisfy his craving for a Paralympic medal. With his category not on the schedule in Rio and the bike issues of Tokyo, the preparations for his latest campaign will have been impeccable in his pursuit of the big prize.

Another French pair will want to be the people to stop him, Thibaut Rigaudeau B3’s WTPS Montreal gold and World Championship silver making him among the favourites to do just that. For his part, Antoine Perel B1 won WTPS Devonport gold, and after 6th in Tokyo, the bike talent has the major Games experience to build on.

Team USA aiming to follow up Snyder’s Tokyo title

Owen Cravens B3 has been quick to fill the shoes of Brad Snyder in the USA team, winning the continental title in March to confirm his qualification for the squad, Kyle Coon B1 joining him in the stars and stripes’ pursuit of medals.

Australian hopes lie with Sam Harding B3, bronze medallist in Swansea in June, and Spain’s Hector Catala Laparra is no stranger to the biggest podiums after taking the silver in Tokyo after being crowned world champion in 2019.

For the full start lists, click here.

Following a meeting at 9.30AM on 29 August attended by representatives of World Triathlon, Paris 2024 and the relevant French authorities involved in monitoring the conditions of the Seine, Paris 2024 and World Triathlon have confirmed a revised schedule for the Para triathlon events at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

All eleven medal events will now take place on 1 September, instead of across two days, on 1 and 2 September. This decision has been taken to provide athletes and coaches with as much certainty as possible. The latest weather forecast provided by Météo France indicates high level of uncertainty for the upcoming days, which could have an impact on the conditions of the Seine. The course of the swim remains unchanged. All the races on Sunday 1 will be broadcasted LIVE, as initially planned for both competition days.

Paris 2024 and World Triathlon will continue their daily monitoring of water quality and the flow of the current. After the successful swim familiarization held on August 29, decisions to go ahead with familiarisation swims on 30 and 31 August, as well as the medal events on 1 September will be taken if possible at 7pm the day before, with the relevant information to be shared with the teams and all relevant stakeholders afterwards. Contingency days for all medal events remain September 2 and 3.

REVISED PARIS 2024 PARALYMPICS TRIATHLON SCHEDULE
08:15:00 Start PTWC1 Men (PTWC2 wave +3mins)
08:20:00 Start PTWC1 Women (PTWC2 wave +3m38s)

09:25:00 Start PTS3 Men
09:30:00 Start PTS2 Men
09:35:00 Start PTS2 Women

12:00:00 Start PTVI1 Men (PTVI 2/3 +2m41s)
12:05:00 Start PTVI1 Women (PTVI 2/3 +3m11)

12:20:00 Start PTS5 Men
12:25:00 Start PTS4 Men

12:35:00 Start PTS5 Women
12:40:00 Start PTS4 Women

All enquiries regarding tickets will be handled by Paris 2024. As with all of the Paris 2024 triathlon and road events, this will also be an opportunity for the public to support and cheer the Para athletes along the route and celebrate the Games in a festive and popular atmosphere, in the heart of Paris.