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Canada’s Stefan Daniel wins World Paratriathlon Race in London

Stefen Daniel. Credit: Jordan Bryden
Stefen Daniel. Credit: Jordan Bryden

Canada’s Stefan Daniel remained unbeaten in 2015 after claiming the gold medal at the ITU World Paratriathlon event in London, England on Saturday.

The 18-year-old star of the paratriathlon squad stomped the field to win on the 2012 Paralympic course with a time of 1:00:14, which combines a 750-metre swim in the centre of Hyde Park followed by a 20-kilometre bike and five-kilometre run around London’s famous landmark.

“I was happy to be able to win today. There was some good competition and I was able to gauge my progress by racing against them,” said Daniel after winning the deepest men’s classification – PT4. “It wasn’t the perfect race by any means as I took a penalty and had rough transitions, but I gave it everything I could.”

Daniel introduced himself to the world in London just two years ago where he won the bronze medal at the 2013 World Paratriathlon Championships during his rookie year. Bringing an unbeaten streak to the 2014 World Championships in his home province in Edmonton, Daniel won the silver last year.

Today he was looking to feed off a gold-medal start to the season in Monterrey, Mexico.

“The swim was good. I couldn’t get on to the stronger swimmers feet, but I minimized the damage after that,” added Daniel. “I felt good on the bike and tried to keep the gap close between myself and the leader. The run went very well and I was able to keep a good pace throughout.”

George Peasgood, of Great Britain was the next best finisher two minutes off Daniel’s pace at 1:02:03, while Russia’s Alexander Yalchik rounded out the men’s PT4 podium in third with a time of 1:02:20.

Ottawa’s Christine Robbins and her guide, Sasha Boulton of Oakville, Ont., were the only other Canadians to suit up in London on Saturday. The Canadian duo placed fourth in the women’s PT5 visually impaired category after clocking a time of 1:22:41.

“I was very pleased with my result today in London and felt I had a huge improvement from Monterrey,” said Robbins. “It was nice to compare myself to the top girls in the PT5 category and work on closing the gap on the leader. The bike was technical, working to our advantage. The run felt a lot smoother, but there is still work to be done. Transitions and the swim need some work, but overall happy with the result.”

Melissa Reid of Great Britain thrilled the hometown crowd after winning the women’s PT5 classification with a time of 1:10:36. Joleen Hakker, of the Netherlands, was second at 1:10:50, while Spain’s Susana Rodriguez won the race for the bronze medal with a time of 1:12:24.

from Triathlon Canada