GB elite Paratriathlon squad targets world titles in Edmonton

Great Britain paratriatheltes have enjoyed a successful holding camp in Kelowna in the Canadian Rockies and are making the final preparations to compete in the ITU World Championships in Edmonton this coming Saturday.

The squad of 13 athletes will compete in four different categories over a sprint-distance triathlon (750m swim, 20.4km bike, 4.6km run). At the World Triathlon Grand Final in London last September, Great Britain won six gold medals making them the most successful team in the world.

Defending that position is becoming increasingly challenging as the sport’s Paralympic Games debut approaches in two years in Rio.

British Paratriathlon performance manager, Jonathon Riall said: “We’ve seen the sport develop a lot this year as we progress towards Rio. We’re expecting tough competition but the job is relatively simple in terms of athletes needing to go out and execute their own race plans.”

He added: “It’s likely to be the most competitive world championships ever but our athletes are well prepared and experienced at performing under pressure.”

Faye McClelland, pictured, has come through that pressure and won the ITU world title in the PT4 category for the last four years in a row. However, she’s been beaten twice this season by teammate and friend, Lauren Steadman, who has improved her performance since switching from Paralympic swimming to triathlon after the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Faye said: “The competition from Lauren has challenged me to look at what I was doing and try to improve it, it’s definitely made me have a stronger mental approach this year.

“Having completed my degree I’ve been able to add more structure and some extra sessions to my programme so we’ll see if that pays off.”

The paratriathlon events take place at 15:45 on Saturday afternoon (22:45 UK time). For live updates via twitter follow @220triathlon, @triathlonlive and @brittri. There is also a live finish line camera available via triathlon.org.

Great Britain Paratriathlon Team

PT1

Jane Egan
Phil Hogg
Joe Townsend

PT3

Sarah Pearson
Russell White

PT4

Clare Cunningham
Faye McClelland
Lauren Steadman
David Hill

PT5

Alison Patrick (guide Jenny Manners)
Melissa Reid (guide Nicola Walters)
Dave Ellis (guide Luke Watson)
Chris Goodwin B1 (guide Ben Matthews)

Liz Barrett 220 Deputy Editor

About

220 deputy editor Liz Barrett started work on the magazine in 2007 as staff writer. Since then, she’s reported live from almost every major triathlon across the globe, including the Ironman World Championships, 70.3 Worlds, six ITU Worlds, Challenge Roth, the 2014 and 2022 Commonwealths, the London and Paris Olympics and the Rio Paralympics, to name but a few. Name a pro and chances are she’ll have interviewed them, so, unsurprisingly, she’s our go-to pro-athlete expert on the team. When not covering races, you’ll find her whipping words into finely-crafted shape for both the magazine and website.