British Triathlon’s Tri4Tokyo Talent ID initiative attracted some exciting future paratriathletes to Loughborough University this weekend. The two-day process saw athletes tested over all three disciplines and meet Paralympic Champion, Andy Lewis, who was in their position just three years ago.

Athletes spent time in the pool, on the track, in the gym and in the testing labs at Loughborough with a big team of coaches and staff assessing encouraging and assessing them.

Wheelchair racer, Jade Jones, who competed in both London and Rio, is considering undertaking her first paratriathlon this year. She commented: “I specialise in wheelchair racing, so it’s been really good to learn a lot more about the other disciplines.”

She added: “I’ve got three years between now and the next Paralympics, so now is absolutely the time to try it.”

Opportunities for Jones could be immediate, with the wheelchair paratriathlon class being included in next year’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast. She said: “It would be good to aim for the Commonwealth Games, and it’s not that far away now, so it very much depends on the qualification standards.”

It was nice to meet Andy Lewis and hear about his journey and how he was in the same position that I am in now, and how quickly he reached the top.

Fran Brown raced in the paratriathlon in Liverpool last summer and could potentially compete in the Paralympic PT2 classification if successful. She said: “The weekend was really good fun, I learned loads. Knowing the coaching that’s available if you work hard enough is amazing.”

Michael Taylor lost his leg only last year. He is already an accomplished swimmer and university student in Cardiff. He said: “It was nice to meet Andy Lewis and hear about his journey and how he was in the same position that I am in now, and how quickly he reached the top.”

He added: “It’s good to see where I’m at, I surprised myself with how I did. Overall it was a really fun experience. I really enjoyed it, so I’d like to get involved.”

The Talent ID team will provide feedback to athletes in the coming weeks, with successful applicants invited back to take part in further training and testing next month. It is hoped to invite some of this weekend’s attendees to be part of the British Paratriathlon Talent squad.

Another Paratriathlon Talent ID weekend is tentatively planned for October 2017. To find out more visit: www.britishtriathlon.org/tri4tokyo.