Had it not been for the global disruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Tokyo Paralympic Games would have been in full swing, with this very weekend featuring ParalympicsGB triathletes testing themselves against the very best in the world.

We now have one more year to patiently wait for Tokyo to crown its victors, but what does that extra year mean for the athletes and staff who typically work in four-year cycles?

The postponement of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is incredibly rare, only occurring previously because of the first and second World Wars. Paratriathlon Head Coach, Jonathon Riall, alongside his team of coaches and practitioners, has been hard at work managing the athletes through this challenging period of Paralympic preparation.

We spoke to Riall about how the team has adapted to these unprecedented circumstances and how an extra year can affect four years of preparation before looking ahead to the Games in 2021.

You can watch the full interview with Riall here.

The Tokyo Paralympic Games achieved a record number of ticket requests last year, reaching a staggering 3.1 million during its first lottery. With a year extra to wait, there’s no doubt that the event is set to be a huge spectacle for the sport.

With revised classifications since the Games at Rio, Great Britain will now have eight medal winning opportunities, with men racing in PTWC, PTS4, PTS5 and PTVI and women competing in PTWC, PTS2, PTS5 and PTVI.

The Paralympic Games in Tokyo are set to take place between 24 August – 5 September 2021 with paratriathlon competition beginning on 28 August and concluding on 29 August.