Canada’s golden moments from the Gold Coast
Stefan Daniel defends his world title in Australia. Plus, top Canadian results from a busy weekend of racing on the Gold Coast.
Gold in the ITU Paratriathlon World Championships
Canada’s Stefan Daniel won his second-straight World Championship title in Gold Coast, Australia on September 15th.
The 2016 Paralympic silver medallist and defending world champion from Calgary, AB, began the day with a solid swim-bike split, before storming to a 15:56 5K run. “I was so happy to have that good swim and take a lot of time off the lead than what I’m used to,” said Daniel. “I had been swimming well in March, but I haven’t been able to translate that into a race. The bike was a bit of a battle, but I knew I would have the running legs, so I wanted to stay close.”
The reigning Paralympic gold medallist, Germany’s Martin Schulz, finished second behind Daniel for the second-straight year. Great Britain’s George Peasgood was third.
Meanwhile, the Canadian women – Jessica Tuomela and Kamylle Frenette, earned a pair of fourth-place finishes.
Tuomela of Sault Ste. Marie, ON, and her guide Lauren Babineau from Victoria, BC, finished just off the podium in fourth in the visually impaired category. Frenette, a native of Dieppe, NB, finished fourth in the women’s standing division.
Ottawa’s Jon Dunkerley and his guide James Cook of Victoria, BC, finished in the eighth spot in the men’s visually impaired race.
Juniors place eighth in the world
Desirae Ridenour and Pavlos Antoniades each earned eighth-place finishes in the junior women’s and men’s races on Saturday.
Ridenour, a native of Cowichan Bay, BC, posted her third top-10 finish in as many trips to the Junior World Championships. In 2016 she finished sixth, and then in 2017, she finished eighth. Victoria’s Hannah Henry had another strong outing, finishing 12th. The team rookie, 16-year-old Kira Gupta-Baltazar of Kleinburg, ON, was 30th.
Pavlos Antoniades of Trois-Rivières, QC, improved upon his 15th-place finish at last year’s race with an eighth-place finish. Brock Hoel (Kelowna, BC) was 19th, and Liam Donnelly (Campbellville, ON) placed 28th.
Elite women and men fly the maple leaf
Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk secured a top ten ranking in the World Triathlon Series standings following a tenth-place finish at the Grand Final on Sunday, September 16th, in Gold Coast, Australia.
Canada’s Matthew Sharpe also finished his year with a strong effort. The six-foot-four-inch Canadian used his impressive swim to set himself up for a 17th-place finish.
Canada’s Joanna Brown had a tough finish to her 2018 season, finishing 18th overall on Saturday after a flat on the bike. “I’m heartbroken and very disappointed, but there was nothing I could do about the flat today, and I did my best to keep myself in it afterwards,” said Brown.
Brown began the 2018 season in the Gold Coast where she won the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games.
U23 Canadian comes 23rd in first Grand Final
Martin Sobey (Charlottetown, PEI) battled through a tough start to finish 23rd in his first trip to the World Triathlon Grand Final on Friday, September 14th, in Gold Coast, Australia.
Charles Paquet of Port Cartier, QC, struggled to perform in Australia, finishing 28th.