Paralympic medal winning triathletes have been in action this week in single discipline format at the Para-Cycling World Championships being held in Baie-Comaeu, Quebec, Canada.
The individual time trial events were held on Thursday and Friday, and among the entries were two very familiar triathlon names defending their 2021 World titles, George Peasgood (GBR) and Jetze Plat (NED).
Fran Brown, the 2019 PTS2 Paratriathlon World Champion also collected the coveted rainbow stripes jersey.
Dutch dynamo unstoppable
Racing on Thursday over the 18.9km course, Jetze Plat, the dominant racer in men’s PTWC (Wheelchair) triathlon again showed what a class athlete he is. Paralympic Games triathlon champion in both Rio and Tokyo, the 31 year-old star also added para-cycling Gold medals in Tokyo in both Time Trial and Road Race in para-cycling’s H4 category.
As it was 12 months ago, Plat finished ahead of Austria’s Thomas Fruhwirth by 39 seconds, coincidentally almost exactly the same margin of victory he achieved last year in Cascais, Portugal.
Plat has now won this title in 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022 – an absolute star of global para sport, reflected in his nomination earlier this year in the Laureus Sports Awards.
Peasgood defends
After racing last week at the Volvo 2022 World Para Triathlon Series Swansea, George Peasgood headed out to Canada to try and defend his C4 Time Trial World Championship. He was a double medallist at the Tokyo Paralympic Games, with silver in triathlon an a bronze in the para-cycling time trial, just two days apart.
Disappointed with his showing in Swansea, George was back on top of the podium this week, and will have another year to display the iconic rainbow stripes colours in TT competition.
Golden Brown
Fran Brown has been a key part of the British Paratriathlon team for many years. PTS2 World Champion in 2019 and European Champion in 2018 / 19 / 21, Brown was fourth at the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
Brown has also had success in para-cycling, and on Friday took gold in the Women’s C1 division in Quebec.
UCI Para-Cycling World Championships 2022 results (selected)
Individual Time Trial – 18.9k
MEN H4 Category (11/08/22) – 18.9km
- 1. Jetze Plat (NED) – 28:10.53
- 2. Thomas Fruhwirth (GER) – 28:49.32
- 3. Rafal Wilk (POL) – 29:37.86
- 8. Geert Schipper (NED) – 30:21.47
MEN C4 Category (12/08/22) – 28.4km
- 1. George Peasgood (GBR) – 38:26.73
- 2. Louis Clincke (BEL) – 39:31.27
- 3. Ronan Grimes (IRL) – 39:57.64
WOMEN C1 Category (12/08/22) – 18.9km
- 1. Frances Brown (GBR) – 31:20
- 2. Kaitlynn Schurmann (AUS) – 38:34
