The Netherlands’ Jetze Plat is a pretty special and versatile athlete.
The PTWC Paralympic Games Paratriathlon champion in both Rio and Tokyo, he recently added a tenth World Para Cycling World Championship title to his C.V. He also won two Paralympic Games Para Cycling gold medals in Tokyo – results which were recognised with a Laureus Sports Awards nomination.
Marathon Man
Clearly not a man to rest on his laurels, Plat was racing in another format today at the TCS London Marathon. While Marcel Hug and Daniel Romanchuk (gold and bronze, respectively, at the Tokyo Games) soon went clear at the front of the race, Plat was still in the chasing trio of three as they turned off of Birdcage Walk and towards Buckingham Palace and The Mall.
Nine-time London winner, David Weir, had the sprinting speed to complete the podium, but Jetze crossed the line just four seconds back on the British legend to take fifth place.
That result follows just a week after the Berlin Marathon where Plat finished fourth in 1:29:06. Again, he was four seconds down on Weir in Germany too.
With a significant increase in the prize purses on offer in the World Marathon Majors wheelchair events this season, top performances from the Dutch athlete which will be rewarded in financial terms too.
Wheelchair (T53/54) London Marathon (Men)
- 1. Marcel Hug (SUI) – 1:24:38
- 2. Daniel Romanchuk (USA) – 1:24:40
- 3. David Weir (GBR) – 1:30:40
- 4. Tomoki Suzuki (JPN) – 1:30:41
- 5. Jetze Plat (NED) – 1:30:44
Triathlon’s mid-season report card: Tim Don on who’s raising the bar this triathlon race season
