It’s World Triathlon Series weekend: Montreal preview

World Paratriathlon and World Triathlon Series heads to Montreal

A huge weekend of racing ahead will see the fifth round of the World Triathlon Series and third round of the 2019 ITU Paratriathlon World Series reach Montreal, Canada.

It’s been a strange year to date for WTS racing. For the women, consistency has been the name of the game. Katie Zaferes has three wins and one second place. Jessica Learmonth has three podiums from four starts and, with the exception of Joanna Brown’s (CAN) Bronze in Bermuda, it’s been all Team USA plus the Brits leading the way.

By contrast, the men’s season has been verging on bizarre. Four different winners, two for the first time at WTS level and 11 different athletes sharing the 12 podium spots to date. Based on that, who knows what will happen this coming weekend?!

Here’s the British Triathlon preview ahead of the weekend.

Triathletes continue their journey to Tokyo 2020

Britain’s top paratriathletes will be aiming to take their first steps towards the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games with success at the ITU World Paratriathlon Series in Montreal.

They will be joined in Canada by four British triathletes who will be looking to continue their run of form in the ITU World Triathlon Series.

The nine-strong British Paratriathlon squad will take to the start line on 28 June with the aim of securing the first stage of Tokyo 2020 nomination.

Paralympic silver medallist Lauren Steadman (PTS5) makes her return to international competition in 2019 and will be looking to put in a strong performance in Montreal. She will come up against team-mate Claire Cashmore (PTS5) who won silver at the World Paratriathlon Series in Yokohama.

Steadman said: “I’ve had an amazing experience over the past few months, but I’m really looking forward to getting back into competing. I can’t wait to get back on the start line in Montreal. As my first race back, I know that it will be a competitive one but I’ve prepared well so we’ll see what happens on the day.”

Alison Peasgood, who won silver in the PTVI category at the Paralympic Games in Rio, has already shown her strength through 2019 with gold at the ITU World Paratriathlon Series in Milan.

National Champion Dave Ellis will be looking to back up his performance from the Milan ITU World Paratriathlon Series where he took the top step of the podium.

Mike Cavendish, British Triathlon National Performance Director, said: “It’s an important event for the paratriathletes as it’s the first WPTS race of the qualification process for Tokyo 2020.

“There will be strong competition across all the classes in Montreal, and it won’t be easy, but having spent the week with the team at their camp in Florida, I know they’re all in a good place and are confident ahead of their races.”

The four athletes competing at the ITU World Triathlon Series in Montreal includes double gold medallist Georgia Taylor-Brown, who returns to action hungry to continue her form from Leeds and Nottingham.

Taylor-Brown will be joined on the start line by Jess Learmonth, who currently sits second in the World Triathlon Series standings having secured bronze at the Leeds event and silver in Bermuda.

Cavendish added: “We are fielding another strong team in Montreal and as we move closer to our Olympic assessment race in Tokyo later in the year, I’m looking forward to another strong set of performances across the board.

“After their podiums in Leeds, it’s great to see Georgia and Jess back in action alongside Jodie and Tom. The conditions in Montreal will be challenging as always but I think we will see some exciting racing.”

The British Paratriathlon team consists of:

The British Triathlon team consists of: