Is Jetze Plat the most successful multisport athlete in the world?

Dutchman Jetze Plat is para-royalty with two paratriathlon and two paracycling Paralympic gold medals to his name in the H4 category.

From 35 World Triathlon race starts, he’s won 33 of them; the other two results a silver and a bronze. Those wins include numerous world and European titles, plus he’s beginning to make 
a name for himself in wheelchair cycling. It’s a helluva achievement for an athlete born 
with a stunted left leg who then 
had his right leg amputated in 2008. Let’s meet him…

220: Jetze, you recently became 
the European paratriathlon 
champion in Madrid for the…how many times?

Jetze Plat: It was my seventh title. That said, it ended up a duathlon. It’d been really hot in the build-up but then there were huge storms that lowered the water quality so they cancelled the swim. I know there’s been talk of poor water quality in the UK but it’s a big problem in Holland, too. I fear this could be a serious problem in the future.

On the positive, the Europeans acted as the first qualifier for the Paris Paralympics next year. The second qualifier is the World Triathlon event in Swansea [15 July, which he won].

220: How’s the rest of your season panning out?

JP: A few weeks after Swansea I’ll be handcycling at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow [where he won the time trial]. It’s then the Paralympic Test Event in Paris [19 August, which he won], followed by the World Triathlon Championships in Spain [22-24 September].

I’ll then wheelchair race at the Chicago [8 October] and New York [5 November] marathons.

220: You’re a para-chameleon. How do you define yourself as an athlete?

JP: As a crazy one! After winning gold in Tokyo, I just wasn’t 100% motivated to go all in again for triathlon and handcycling because I’d already won almost everything. Of course, it’s nice to win but I constantly need new challenges.

Wheelchair racing is similar to the last leg of the triathlon and isn’t that different than handcycling so I’d thought I’d give it a go.

220: Didn’t you compete at the London Marathon in April?

JP: I did and finished second after finishing fifth the previous October. It’s such a great race and has so 
many spectators. Which is one of the draws of wheelchair racing. The crowds really come out.

Paracycling tends to be smaller, though the Worlds in Glasgow should be a 
great atmosphere.

220: Can you give us an idea of how a training week plays out?

JP: At the moment, I’m focusing on handcycling and triathlon, so that means five times a week on the handbike – two of which are intervals – plus several sessions in the racing chair and two swim sessions a week. It’s around 15 to 25 hours each week.

220: Where do you train?

JP: I live around 30mins from Amsterdam so there mainly. I also train a fair bit in Papendal. It’s the National Sports Centre in Holland and where the national team trains.

I’m also on training camps a fair bit, most recently in Austria. My coach is Guido Vroemen and my strength trainer is Johan Versluijs, though I do more work with him in the winter. The summer is more about sport-specific training.

220: How did you end up in pro sport?

JP: My parents saw someone handcycling close to our home, which inspired them to buy me a handbike. I was only five years old so I’ve been riding a long time. It was a great decision as it gave me freedom to explore and give me confidence.

When I was 12 or 13, the owner of the company who made my handbike invited me to compete in races. I was well down the field and not that strong but I grew year after year. Then in 2008 I attended the Beijing Paralympics as part of a Dutch talent group.

I was there to watch, not race, but from that moment I dreamt about competing at the 2012 London Paralympics. I made it to London and finished fourth in the H4 road race.

After London, I began swimming more; I’d swum regularly since I was six so it seemed logical to aim for paratriathlon at the 2016 Paralympics in Rio, especially as it was making its debut. There, I won gold and again in Tokyo, as well as two golds in handcycling.

220: And you also found time to break the course record at Ironman Hawaii in a time of 8:41:47.

JP: That was 2017 and is still one of my fondest memories. After Rio, there was room for another challenge so my team and I decided to train for Kona. It was tough but beautiful, and totally different than the World Triathlon Series sprints.

Will I go back? For now, I don’t have that ambition but maybe when I stop my career as a short-distance racer, especially as I’m not the course record holder anymore. Austria’s Thomas Fruhwirth beat it two years ago [in a time of 8:15:39].

220: Here, many Paralympians receive funding from UK Sport via the National Lottery. What’s the set-up in Holland?

JP: I think it’s similar. In paratriathlon, you have to be 
racing at a certain level or show potential and then you’ll receive support from the National Federation, where you’ll receive money each month. It’s not a lot 
but it’s enough to cover food and rent. I have a lot of sponsors, too, which helps with things like 
training camps.

220: As 2024 edges closer, what are your plans for Paris (if/when you qualify, of course)?

JP: The plan for Paris isn’t 100% sorted yet. It’s definite that I’ll 
aim for paratriathlon and handcycling, but I might aim for 
the wheelchair marathon, too. 
We’ll decide this winter.

220: Finally, what are your plans beyond Paris?

JP: We will see. I won’t stop completely though it might be my last Paralympics. Maybe I’ll focus on paratriathlon and wheelchair cycling. I can see me racing more marathons, that’s for sure.

Top image credit: Wagner Araujo/World Triathlon