A total of 24 paratriathletes competed in the 2012 PATCO Paratriathlon Championships, with three different countries claiming titles at the inaugural stand-alone Paratriathlon continental championships for the Americas.
Athletes completed in each of the six paratriathlon classifications. The USA’s Diana Helt took the female TRI-1 title, and Andre Kajlich (USA) took out the men’s TRI-1 ahead of Canada’s Pierre Ouellet and Brian Martin. Canada’s Grant Darby won the men’s TRI-2 title, ahead of Argentina’s Juan Manuel Geny.
It was a Canadian podium sweep in the women’s TRI-3 category, with Jennifer Hopkins taking gold ahead of Kim Wedgerfield and Lorene Hatelt. David Kyle (USA) won the men’s TRI-3 title.
In the women’s TRI-4 category, Canada took another win with Chantal Denholm finishing ahead of Jody Barber, Ngan Oickle and the USA’s Tisa Cawthorn. In the men’s, Brazil’s Roberto Carlos Silva took the win ahead of the USA’s Joel Rosinbum and Rafael Oliver.
Danielle McLaughlin (USA) won gold in the women’s TRI-5, ahead of Allysa Seeley (USA), while Canada’s Darren Smith won the men’s TRI-5 ahead of fellow Canadian John Paul Austring. Patricia Walsh (USA) won the women’s TRI-6 championship, and Canada’s Ryan Van Praet took the men’s TRI-6 title.
The events also acted as the Canadian Paratriathlon national championships. The titles were this week preceded with a paratriathlon camp that had a series of sport seminars open to all athletes, coaches and technical officials and has been designed and presented by Triathlon Canada and supported by ITU Sport Department. A total of 15 athletes attended the camp, with coaches and athletes from six different countries; Canada, the U.S., Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
Click here for full results in all categories
The PATCO Paratriathlon Championships were also a test event for ITU Paratriathlon World Cups, which will commence 2013 en route to the Rio Games.
ITU has committed to support the development of paratriathlon for over 15 years, and the sport was officially accepted for inclusion into the Paralympic Games in 2011 is set to make its Paralympic debut at the Rio 2016 Games. To read more on paratriathlon, please click here