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The World Triathlon Para Series event in Montreal this weekend is shaping up to be a scorcher in more ways than one, as competition hots up for Australia’s premier Para-triathletes with Paris on their minds.
Eleven Aussies will be vying for their first Paralympic Qualifying Rankings points in the Montreal race, which will be followed a week later by the Swansea WTPS round.
This weekend’s action will unfold on Montreal’s famed Gilles Villeneuve Formula One track and Triathlon Australia’s Paralympic Performance Manager Kyle Burns knows the heat will be on.
“It has been very warm here this week and athletes will need to race smart to the conditions and prepare well,” Burns said.
“It will be coming off some strong results in Yokohama with all of our medal winners from that event lining up again.
“The group is looking to build the foundations knowing that there are even bigger goals ahead, but they all look forward to the challenge that this race will present.”
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Australia will be strongly represented in Montreal and next week in Swansea, which will pit the Aussies against the world’s best before moving into the Paris Test Event (August 22-26) and World Championships in Spain (September 22-24).
The green and gold brigade features a strong spread across many of the categories from Lauren Parker and her fellow Paralympians David Bryant, Nic Beveridge and Sam Harding to Queensland rookie Grace Brimelow who is making her WTPS debut.
Glen Jarvis, Justin Godfrey, Jeremy Peacock, Liam Twomey, Jack Howell, and Caroline Baird round out the Australian team.
Three-time world champion, Parker, will once again lead the charge. The 34-year-old is in remarkable form, chasing her 11th consecutive victory in Montreal.
Fresh from her spectacular Para-cycling Road World Cup debut in May, Parker chalked up another Para-triathlon win at Yokohama and is eyeing a unique place in Paralympic history as a representative in Para-triathlon and Para-cycling at Paris 2024.
Read: Parker Returns to Para-Triathlon, Continues Golden Streak
#ParaWorldCup debut ✅ #ParaWorldCup🥇✅@_laurenparker_ was always going to come in swinging on the para-cycling scene when she had the chance and she has come in firing in 🇧🇪 with a 1 minute and 17 second winning margin in the women's H3 time trial 🔥#AusCyclingTeam pic.twitter.com/0FeDaecdys
— ARA Australian Cycling Team (@AusCyclingTeam) May 5, 2023
“Considering we weren’t sure how she would pull up post the cycling, to then produce a world class performance in Yokohama was great for her confidence,” Parker’s coach Dan Atkins said.
“Once she got home we took the normal easier week, but Lauren wanted to get straight back into routine, especially focusing on her swimming as she missed swim time due to the extra travel.
“But her swim has come back up with some little test sets and we knew what she needed to hit to be back on task with her ability in the water.”
Parker will again go head-to-head with American Kendall Gretsch – the last woman to beat her, at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
“As always with Lauren, she just loves hard racing and being out front having athletes chasing her and she knows that America’s Paralympic champion Kendall Gretsch will especially be racing hard to chase her down,” Atkins said.
“After Yokohama I expect Kendall and a few of the other competitors to be better, but I really think Lauren is on track for a couple of great races in Montreal and Swansea.”
Parker has focused on improving her overall power output.
“Lauren knows exactly what to do in training to get the best out of her racing,” Atkins said. “Her diligence is at the highest standard – the level that Lauren brings to her everyday training is methodical and is always about being better.
“Whether that be with her equipment, her session planning or her travel plans, which are all set out to maximise her performance.
“So, everything we plan and we do this together, is well thought out and always about both cycling and triathlon.”
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Nic Beveridge (PTWC)
Glen Jarvis (PTS2)
Justin Godfrey (PTS3)
Jeremy Peacock (PTS4)
Liam Twomey (PTS4)
David Bryant (PTS5)
Jack Howell (PTS5)
Sam Harding (PTVI)
Lauren Parker (PTWC)
Grace Brimelow (PTS2)
Caroline Baird (PTVI)
By: Triathlon Australia
Posted: 7 July 2023
Image: World Triathlon
