The World Triathlon Para Series is back with the first race taking place in Devonport, Australia, this weekend. The Series will then continue with stops in Yokohama, Taranto and Montreal before attention will turn in October to the World Triathlon Para Championships in Wollongong. Before the action gets underway, take a look at some of the names, numbers and match-ups to keep an eye on below.
Triple crown winners go again
On the Para triathlon scene, four athletes had perfect 2024 seasons. Dave Ellis, Susana Rodriguez, Grace Norman and Alexis Hanquinquant each struck Paralympic, world and continental gold last year, claiming a triple crown that cemented them at the top of the sport.
Notwithstanding the claims of others, this quartet are the best – and certainly the most dominant – Para triathletes in the world. After the immense success they enjoyed last year, there may be a question of what mountain there is left to scale. Hanquinquant, for example, claimed his seventh world title in Torremolinos and really has nothing left to prove. Equally, having reached the highest points of the sport, expect them to enjoy the view and defend their position for some time yet. Catching them this year will be a treat for spectators and a challenge for their rivals.
Hot streaks
One answer to the question of what the triple crown winners of 2024 have left to pursue is building upon their winning streaks. Norman last lost individually at the Swansea World Para Series in 2022 with a DNF and is currently on a run of 11 straight international individual wins. When considering individual races that she finished, the last time she actually lost was at the 2021 World Para Championships in Abu Dhabi when she finished 2nd.
As it happens, Ellis is also on a run of 11 wins in a row; his last defeat came at the 2023 European Championships in Madrid. Given his recent form, it would be brave to bet against him in his coming races.
The winning streaks of Norman and Ellis, however, are dwarfed by the incomparable form of Hanquinquant. He last lost in 2019 individually and is on a run of 27 straight international wins. His is a level of dominance unseen in any sport and it remains to be seen just how far he will take this streak.
At the same time, such winning runs can be broken. Paris Paralympic champion Lauren Parker had won 15 straight international races dating back to her silver medal at the Tokyo Paralympic Games but settled for bronze in Torremolinos as Kendall Gretsch blasted her way to the world title. Parker will look to start her streak anew in Devonport, but serves as a reminder that even the seemingly impossible can happen in Para triathlon
Young guns on the hunt
For all of the recent dominance of the triple crown winners, a changing of the guard may be in the offing for the next generation has arrived.
A new crop of talent has already started to make waves in the sport. Francesca Tarantello broke Rodriguez’s run of world titles by claiming the PTVI gold in 2023. She then ensured that Rodriguez would not build a new winning streak by defeating her at the World Para Series stop in Yokohama last May. Rodriguez may have won the triple crown last season, but Tarantello has certainly caused her trouble in recent times and is only getting better. Theirs will be a contest that will light up the 2025 campaign.
Henry Urand is another coming force in the PTS3 class. Last year, he denied Paralympic and European champion Daniel Molina the world title with a monumental performance in Torremolinos. With another winter under his belt, look for an even stronger Urand to grace this year’s circuit.
Then they are the new Australian talents. Grace Brimelow dazzled in Devonport last year as she became one of the youngest ever World Para Series gold medallists. Her compatriot Jack Howell likewise showed that he is on his way up in the sport by claiming the PTS5 silver medal in Torremolinos. With plenty more promising young athletes in Para triathlon, the existing status quo might not last long.
Royal rumble
Howell’s silver medal in Torremolinos brings us to what might be the category to watch this year: the men’s PTS5 class. In the last year, the category has seen more twists, usurpations and knives in the back than a Game of Thrones novel.
Tokyo Paralympic champion Martin Schulz only managed 3rd in Paris as Chris Hammer and Ronan Cordeiro powered ahead of him. In turn, Hammer was then relegated to 4th in Torremolinos as the podium completely changed across the Paralympics and World Championships.
European champion Bence Moscari took 6th place in Torremolinos but the man he beat to silver in Vichy, Filipe Marques, ended up with the bronze medal on the world stage. Throw in the rising Howell and this easily becomes a cohort in which anyone can beat anyone.
The newly-crowned world champion, Stefan Daniel, is unstoppable on his day, and enters the new year as the favourite. However it is no stretch to say that any of half a dozen men or more could win any race they start at or finish 6th.
Home victories
There’s something different about racing at home. Unlike the WTCS, the World Para Series does not count towards the world title. As such, the athletes have more flexibility when it comes to picking and choosing their races. For several, though, there will be certain races that have long since been pencilled into the diary.
Grace Brimelow, Anu Francis, Lauren Parker and Jack Howell are among the numerous Australians that will kick-start their seasons in Devonport. With a home audience to impress, they will be on their A-game this weekend.
Thereafter, Jumpei Kimura will be one of the key Japanese hopes for a home win in Yokohama. He will launch his season in Devonport where he will go head-to-head with World Para Series gold medallist Howie Sanborn. Yukako Hata and Asumi Yasuda are two further Japanese hopefuls and both will seek PTS2 gold in Yokohama.
Tarantello will then be the face of Taranto, as will her Italian compatriot, Paralympic medallist Veronica Yoko Plebiani. Meanwhile, Daniel and Kamylle Frenette will aim to defend the gold medals they claimed on home soil in Montreal last year.
Stay up to date with all the latest in Para triathlon across all World Triathlon channels. With the talent set to race this season, you won’t want to miss a moment.
