There are now just over two years before paratriathlon makes its debut in the Paralympic Games and the British Triathlon paratriathlon team are searching for more talented athletes.
At last year's PruHealth World Triathlon Grand Final London the Great Britain Paratriathlon Team knew it would be the toughest ITU World Championships yet as the standards in the sport continue to rise ahead of its Paralympic Games debut in Rio 2016.
The team left with a record six gold medals and 15 medals in total. The competition will continue to rise over the next two years and British Triathlon aim to be at the front of the pack pushing the bar ever higher.
The team at British Triathlon are constantly working with the existing squad to enable the athletes to be the best prepared in Rio 2016 - for example they have just returned from their first ever squad Warm Weather Training camp in Lanzarote - and are always looking out for new talent.
Could you be part of Team GB? Do you have experience in swimming, cycling, running or wheelchair racing or perhaps in another elite paralympic sport? If the answer is yes and you have the drive and determination to be successful in paratriathlon then this is the time for you to come along and see if you have got what it takes.
Dave Ellis (pictured on the tandem with guide Luke Watson) is a visually impaired athlete who swam for Team GB in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. After not making the team for London 2012 he sought a fresh challenge. A friend suggested that he should try coming to the Talent ID weekend held in February 2013. Dave is now the British, European and World Champion in his category and reflected:
“I suppose looking back, something really good has come out of that disappointment of 2012. If I hadn’t missed out on a Paralympics spot, I wouldn’t have pushed towards trying something different and going into paratriathlon.”
Over the weekend of the 22 and 23 March 2014, Loughborough University will play host to the next stage of talent identification. The weekend will consist of performance testing in:
- Swim
- Bike
- Run
In addition, all athletes will receive a national classification under the brand new classification system. They will get further information on future competitions, plus information to ensure all athletes understand the performance pathway and what will be expected of them to develop and succeed over the next two years and beyond.
All athletes are also invited to compete in our national Duathlon Championships in Corby the following weekend, Sunday 30th March. For details of how to enter please click here.
What are we looking for? We invite all athletes to this talent weekend, with an aim to ensure all people understand the support available as they progress in the sport. The main focus for the Talent Team will be in identifying those athletes who possess:
- A level of ability and commitment within triathlon to be competitive on a world stage within the next two seasons.
- Athletes who show an all round high level of ability in all three sports.
or
- Those who are coming from a world-class level in a single discipline sport with a good level of ability in the others.
These athletes will be identified and supported through our future pathway.
A new classification system within paratriathlon is being finalised and will be available by the talent weekend. As a guide, the classifications and process from the previous system can be viewed here. The outcomes of classification will play a part in any future progress. We will give a full overview of the new system during the weekend.
Please also note that for those not successful in gaining entry onto one of our supported programmes at this stage the door will never be closed. With a national classification all classified athletes will be eligible to compete in any British Paratriathlon events, as well as in other triathlons across the country where they will have the opportunity to challenge themselves and see if they can raise their level to gain access onto the British team in the future.
If you feel you could join our journey to be the most successful paratriathlon nation in the world in Rio, please complete the application form (click here) and return it to Paralympic Talent and Development Manager Alasdair Donaldson: alasdairdonaldson@britishtriathlon.org
Please have all applications in by Thursday 13th March 2014.
