The Paratriathlon will now take place on Monday at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, with all race categories in action from 07:00 live (BST) on Channel 4 and Channel 4’s YouTube channels.
Eleven paratriathletes are racing for gold for ParalympicsGB across PTWC, PTS3, PTVI, PTS4 and PTS5 categories. They will all race across the iconic Parisian course starting with a 750m swim followed by a 20km bike leg and a 5km run to the finish line.
Women’s PTWC
The women’s PTWC race sees Mel Nicholls representing the British interest. Paris will be her debut as a paratriathlete at a Games, after appearances at the London and Rio Paralympic Games competing in wheelchair racing. She heads to the French capital in fine form, having been on the podium in each of her last six races over the last two years. Her best results in that impressive run have been wins at World Triathlon Para Cup Taranto and World Triathlon Para Cup Yenisehir.
Men’s PTS3
The men’s PTS3 category has Henry Urand representing the British interest. Urand has enjoyed a meteoric rise in the sport having only made his international paratriathlon debut last June. He heads to Paris in great form that has seen him on the podium in his last four races, including a win at World Triathlon Para Series Montreal.
Men’s PTVI
Up next for ParalympicsGB is the men’s PTVI race with Dave Ellis and his guide Luke Pollard, and Oscar Kelly and guide Charlie Harding in action. Ellis and Pollard are the current World Champions after winning in Pontevedra last year. And whilst Ellis has rotated between Pollard and Jack Hutchens as his guides in the build-up to the Games, his form hasn’t dipped. He hasn’t been off the top two steps of the podium since a DNF (did not finish) at the Tokyo Paralympic Games due to a mechanical issue on the bike.
Kelly and his guide Harding are the second duo on the start line in the men’s PTVI race. This will be their debut at a Paralympic Games, and they head into it in good form with two trips to the podium already this year. They won back-to-back silver medals at World Triathlon Para Series Devonport and World Triathlon Para Cup Yenisehir earlier this year.
Women’s PTVI
In the women’s PTVI, Alison Peasgood returns to the Paralympics after winning silver in Rio and finishing fourth in Tokyo. This will be the first time she has raced alongside Brooke Gillies at a Games. Peasgood returned to the sport earlier this year after maternity leave and, alongside Gillies, instantly returned to the podium with a silver medal at World Triathlon Para Series Devonport. The pair followed that up with bronze medals in Samarkand and Swansea before their pre-games campaign ended with fourth in Montreal.
Men’s PTS4
The next category to race is the men’s PTS4 classification, which includes both Finley Jakes and Michael Taylor. Jakes is making his debut at a Paralympic Games and has had a busy 2024 in his quest to make the start line in Paris. He’sraced six times this year with his best result coming at the 2024 World Triathlon Para Cup Samarkand and 2024 World Triathlon Para Cup Taranto, where he won a silver medal.
For teammate Taylor, Paris marks his second Paralympic Games having finished eighth in Tokyo three years ago. This season Taylor has made four trips to the podium, including three wins in Samarkand, Devonport and Yenisehir.
Women’s PTS5
The penultimate race of the day featuring the Brits is the women’s PTS5 category with Lauren Steadman and Claire Cashmore in action. Paris marks Steadman’s fifth games and third as a paratriathlete, as she looks for a third consecutive Paralympic Medal. She was second in Rio behind America’s Grace Norman and France’s Gwladys Lemoussu but went one better in Tokyo, winning the gold medal ahead of Norman, with teammate Cashmore third.
For Cashmore, Paris is her sixth Games, having been to four as a swimmer where she won eight medals, including a 4x100m medley relay gold in Rio. Her paratriathlon medal in Tokyo took her tally to nine medals from five Games. Heading into Paris she has been in fine form, winning her last four races including World Triathlon Para Series Swansea in June.
Women’s PTS4
The final race of the day sees Hannah Moore and Megan Richter in action in the women’s PTS4 category. Moore is making her Games debut following her return to the sport last June. Since then, she has podiumed at seven of nine races. In 2024 after a DNF (did not finish) in Yenisehir she picked up back-to-back wins in Samarkand and Swansea to confirm her place on the start line.
Richter is also a Games debutant and put in a string of strong performances to qualify for Paris after two years away from the sport. She was second in Devonport at the start of the season before a win in Yenisehir. Three consecutive second place finishes then followed, including winning silver in a British 1-2 behind Moore in Swansea in her final race before the Games.
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