Rio 2016 preview: Triathlon
10.09.2016The sport will make its Paralympic debut at Rio 2016 and will be contested at Fort Copacabana between 10 and 11 September.
Para triathlon athletes race in three disciplines: 750m of swimming, followed by 20km of cycling and 5km of running.
© • Getty Images
The triathlon events at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games will start and end around Fort Copacabana, with the 20km bike and a 5km run taking place along Av. Atlantica road, which runs alongside Copacabana Beach.
The men’s competitions will be contested on Saturday (10 September) and include medal events in the PT1, PT2 and PT4 categories, while the women’s competitions will take place the following day and will feature medal events in the PT2, PT4 and PT5 classes.
In the men’s PT4, Germany’s Martin Schulz and Canada’s Stefan Daniel will undoubtedly turn triathlon’s Paralympic debut into a thrilling showdown.
Schulz has dominated the PT4 class for the past two years, winning every single triathlon event he competed in between June 2013 and September 2015.
However, Daniel stunned the triathlon world at the 2015 Para Triathlon World Championships where he took down Schulz and sealed his first title.
After competing as a swimmer at Beijing 2008 and London 2012, Great Britain’s world champion Lauren Steadman seeks to impress in triathlon’s Paralympic debut and win gold in the women’s PT4. But USA’s Grace Norman is also ready to take first place.
The USA is likely to dominate the women’s PT2 race. Hailey Danisewicz qualified for Rio early, but her teammate and current world champion Allysa Seely jumped into the scene in 2015 to take over the No. 1 spot.
Melissa Stockwell, who sealed the bronze medal at the 2015 World Championships, rounds off the strong US American trio. Do not discount France’s Elise Marc, current world No. 3, either.
Location: Fort Copacabana
Schedule: 10-11 September
Mark your calendars for…
Saturday, 10 September
•10:00-12:42 Men’s finals
Sunday, 11 September
•10:00-12:55 Women’s finals
Ones to watch:
•STEFAN DANIEL (CAN): The 19-year-old burst onto the triathlon scene after defeating Germany’s Martin Schulz at last year’s World Championships to claim gold in the men’s PT4.
•HAILEY DANISEWICZ (USA): She became the first US para triathlete to have ever qualified for a Games, where the sport will make its Paralympic debut.
•LAUREN STEADMAN (GBR): The British PT4 triathlete seeks to continue with her unbeaten run, which started in 2014.
•MARTIN SCHULZ (GER): The 26-year-old had been dominating the PT4 class until he was defeated by Daniel at the 2015 Worlds, but is ready to climb back to the top in Rio.
How to follow:
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Sport fans from around the world can now buy their Paralympic tickets for Rio 2016 from authorised ticket resellers (ATRs).
The IPC’s Global ATR is Jet Set Sports, and Rio 2016 tickets and packages can be purchased on the CoSport website.
Residents of Brazil can buy 2016 Paralympics tickets directly from the Rio 2016 website.
Visa International is the exclusive payment card and the official payment system for the Paralympic Games.
