American paratriathlete Kendall Gretsch – the Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic champion in the PTWC category – has earned her third Winter Paralympic gold medal in Beijing.
The 29-year-old from Illinois was already a two-time Winter Paralympic gold medallist heading into the 2022 event – having won both the 6km sitting para biathlon and 12km sitting para cross-country skiing events four years ago in PyeongChang.
A dominant display of skiing in the 10km sitting para biathlon helped Gretsch take top honours from Team USA rival Oksana Masters. Gretsch earned victory by 8.7 seconds but had to overcome a single time penalty to beat her domestic contender.
Further medal chances
In addition to her 10km sitting para biathlon success, Gretsch also medalled over the shorter 6km distance when she finished third.
The medals come just six months after Gretsch earned victory at Odaiba Marine Park in an exhilarating content where she bested Australian Lauren Parker by just one second to take her first Summer Paralympic gold.
There could be more success to follow for Gretsch too. After those two medals in biathlon over the Sprint (6km) and Middle Distance (10km) formats, the Long Distance (12.5km) is still to come.
In addition – minus the shooting aspect – medal opportunities in Cross Country too, where she has already raced and finished fourth over the Long Distance (15km) on day two of the Games.
Are we in a triathlon boom, or hurtling towards burnout? Laura Siddall on the growth of the sport
