The calendar for next year’s ITU World Paratriathlon Events has been confirmed, with South Africa to get things started on 1 March and the Chicago Grand Final to host the final one in September 2015.
In all there are eleven events confirmed so far, and the International Triathlon Union expects to add at least two more races to the calendar in the coming weeks, due to interest from cities in Europe and Australia.
What’s more, the stopover in Brazil at the beginning of August will serve as a test event for paratri’s Olympics debut at Rio 2016, with qualification points up for grabs and huge crowds expected on Copacabana beach.
The ITU World Paratriathlon Events confirmed so far include:
- 2015 East London ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (RSA): 1 March
- 2015 Sunshine Coast ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (AUS): 13 March
- 2015 Madrid ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (ESP): 10 May
- 2015 Yokohama ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (JPN): 16 May
- 2015 London ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (GBR): 30 May
- 2015 Besançon ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (FRA): 7 June
- 2015 Iseo - Franciacorta ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (ITA): 19 July
- 2015 Rio de Janeiro ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (BRA): 1-2 August**
- 2015 Detroit ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (USA): 15-16 August
- 2015 Edmonton ITU World Paratriathlon Event, (CAN): 5-6 September
- 2015 Chicago ITU World Paratriathlon Championships (USA): 15-20 September
In addition to the ITU World Paratriathlon Events, three Continental Championships have been confirmed:
- 2015 Penrith OTU Paratriathlon Oceania Championship, (AUS): 11 January
- 2015 Sharm El Sheikh ATU Paratriathlon African Championship, (EGY): 10 May
- 2015 Geneva ETU Paratriathlon European Championship, (SUI): 11 July
British paratriathletes enjoyed dazzling success at the ITU Grand Final in Edmonton, Canada this year, with the 13-strong squad collecting eight world championship medals including two golds, four silvers and two bronzes, spanning classes from PT1 to PT5.
It was the women’s T4 category where Britain were most dominant, with Lauren Steadman pipping Faye McLelland to gold, and Clare Cunningham completing a clean sweep on the podium. Britain’s second gold came from Alison Patrick, racing in the T5 category, and the best male result came from Phil Hogg, who collected silver in the T1 category.
(Main image: Janos Schmidt)
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