Paralympics Triathlon Get to Know

The triathlon events at the Paralympic Games will see all competitors from the different sport classes compete over a course of 750m swim, 20km cycle (bike/tandem/handbike) and 5km run (or racing wheelchair).

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games featured an expanded lineup of Para triathlon medal events compared to Tokyo 2020, including the Men’s PTWC, PTS2, PTS3, PTS4, PTS5, and PTVI, along with the Women’s PTWC, PTS2, PTS4, PTS5, and PTVI—three more events in total than the previous Games.

The athlete participation also saw significant growth, with 54 men (18 more than in Tokyo) and 50 women (14 more than in Tokyo) competing, along with an additional 18 invitational spots for athletes of any gender. This expansion brought the total number of Para triathletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympics to 120, a substantial increase from the 80 athletes at Tokyo 2020.

Sport Class Explanation

The Paralympic Para triathlon qualifying system was reformatted for Tokyo to allow for classing-up in certain cases to potentially allow more athletes the opportunity to qualify. The Paris 2024 medal events are as follows:

PTWC in both genders: comprising both PTWC1 and PTWC2 sport classes;
PTVI in both genders: comprising PTVI1, PTVI2 and PTVI3 sport classes;
Men’s PTS2;
Men’s PTS3;
Men’s PTS4;
Men’s PTS5
Women’s PTS2;
Women’s PTS4: also including athletes from the PTS3 sport class;
Women’s PTS5.

The basic definitions for each of the classes in paratriathlon are as follows:

PTWC - Wheelchair users. Athletes must use a recumbent handcycle on the bike course and a racing wheelchair on the run segment.
PTS2 - Severe impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTS3 - Significant impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTS4 - Moderate impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTS5 - Mild impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTVI - Includes athletes who are partially sighted to totally blind. Must ride a tandem during the bike segment. One guide of the same nationality and gender is mandatory throughout the race.

Important rules

There are some particularities in Para triathlon, as athletes with varying levels of impairment need different support levels when exiting the water and before reaching the transition area.

There are swim-exit assistants who may assist the athletes upon swim exit depending on the swim cap colour, providing full lifting (red swim cap) or support assistance (yellow swim cap). There is a designated pre-transition area for athletes to collect their assistive devices (PTS2 to PTS4) or access their daily wheelchairs and be stripped by their handlers if needed (PTWC).

Athletes can use conventional bikes with approved adaptations (PTS2, PTS3 & PTS4 classes), a tandem (PTVI) or handcycle (PTWC).

The final section is a 5 km run, which athletes can complete in racing wheelchairs (PTWC), running with or without support of assistive devices (PTS2, PTS3 & PTS4) or alongside their guides (PTVI).

In the PTVI medal event, totally blind athletes (PTVI1) have an advantage through the interval start system. The men start 3’21’’ ahead of the partially sighted field and the women 3’48 ahead.

The PTWC medal event also uses the interval start system. The PTWC1 men start 3’08’’ ahead of the rest of the field and PTWC1 women start 4’04’’ ahead.