Two races down, seven still to go in the ITU World Triathlon Series. With some stunning British performances so far, we take a look back at what has happened to date, along with how our paratriathletes are getting on in the lead up to Rio 2016.
The 2016 ITU World Triathlon Series kicked off in Abu Dhabi, where Jodie Stimpson, Helen Jenkins, Tom Bishop and Adam Bowden began their competitive seasons. Jodie Stimpson had a dream start to the season winning gold and was joined on the podium by Helen Jenkins who finished third place. The top British finisher in the men’s race was Adam Bowden who was just outside the top 10 in 11th. Tom Bishop finished 90 seconds behind Bowden in 32nd position.
Athletes then headed to the Gold Coast for round two, which would see both Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee race for the first time this year, alongside Tom Bishop and Gordon Benson, with Jodie Stimpson and Helen Jenkins flying the British flag in the women’s race.
It was an emphatic win for Helen Jenkins, who pushed the pace on the bike to break Gwen Jorgensen’s record of 12 straight World Triathlon Series wins. Jodie Stimpson ran strongly through the field to finish in 12th place. The men were faced by the intense midday heat for their event which saw Jonathan Brownlee hold out for third place, with brother Alistair Brownlee finishing in 36th and Thomas Bishop in 42nd place.
Six British athletes head to the first sprint distance event of the series in Cape Town on Sunday 24 April; Vicky Holland, Non Stanford, Jodie Stimpson, Adam Bowden, Alistair Brownlee and Jonathan Brownlee.
The 2016 World Para-Triathlon Event (WPE) opened in Buffalo City, South Africa, on 20 March with numerous paratriathletes starting the season on a strong note. From a British perspective there were a trio of convincing wins for Lauren Steadman (PT4), Alison Patrick (PT5) and Ryan Taylor (PT2). Phil Hogg (PT1) and David Hill (PT4) both brought home silver medals, with Melissa Reid (PT5) claiming bronze in the South African sun.
The second round of the WPE sees Paratriathletes travel to Penrith, Australia, competing on Sunday 24 April for vital points in the run up to Rio. The 5 strong British contingent includes Joe Townsend (PT1), Andrew Lewis (PT2), George Peasgood (PT4), Lauren Steadman (PT4) and Claire Cunningham (PT4).
In terms of Olympic and Paralympic selection, here’s what we know so far.
Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, along with Non Stanford and Vicky Holland have all met the qualification criteria for automatic preselection to Team GB. Two spots; one on the women’s team and one on the men’s, still remain.
The complete Olympic Team announcement will take place on 7 June – watch this space!
On the Paratriathlon side, both Lauren Steadman (PT4) and Alison Patrick (PT5) have too met their qualification criteria for automatic preselection to the first ever Paralympic paratriathlon Team.
Further British paratriathletes will look to impress over the coming months, with the complete Paratriathlon Team announcement taking place on 15 July.
