PARIS, Fra.—Canada’s Paratriathlon squad celebrated two trips to the World Triathlon Para Cup podium on Saturday at the 2024 Paralympic course in Paris, France.
Kamylle Frenette, of Dieppe, N.B. took the bronze medal in the women’s standing classification, while Calgary’s two-time Paralympic medallist, Stefan Daniel, matched his teammates performance in the men’s division.
The format of the race switched due to discrepancies with the water testing in the Seine. Athletes competed in a revised run-bike-run duathlon format. A 1.2km link to one lap of the 1.3km run course got things underway, transitioning on Ponte Alexandre III for the five-lap 18.5km bike and then back onto the run for three laps, taking in Champs Elysees and Saint German Boulevard.
Frenette, who recently completed her pharmacy studies, stormed onto the women’s podium in the French capital after producing the second-fastest run time of the day. The 27-year-old completed the course in a time of 1:03:21 for third place.
“It wasn’t ideal to have a duathlon, but I made the best of it and today was a good day. The bike course is very technical with cobbles and many tight turns which is not my strength but I’d be lying if I said that riding in Paris is amongst the cities coolest infrastructures like the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower wasn’t an absolute dream come true,” said Frenette.
“The first run was speedy. I started the bike feeling shaky and hesitant on the cobbles but gained confidence each lap to end strong, and then I just really enjoyed emptying the tank on the second run.”
Grace Norman, of the United States, took the gold with a time off 59:26. Claire Cashmore, of Great Britain, placed second at 1:02:50.
Stefan Daniel battled through a challenging day and a penalty on the course to salvage a bronze medal. The 26-year-old business student-athlete at the University of Calgary set the early pace before American Chris Hammer bolted out front. Daniel posted a time of 54:47.
“The course was really cool and by far the most unique courses I’ve ever experienced with all the historic landmarks and cobblestones,” said Daniel. “It was super valuable being able to experience the course and knowing exactly what I need to improve on for the Games next year.”
Hammer won the test event with a time of 53:49. Brazil’s Ronan Cordeiro topped Daniel for second spot after stopping the clock at 54:18.
“It just wasn’t my day today,” said Daniel. “I tip my hat to Chris and Ronan for executing some great performances. I’m excited to get back to work and motivated to have a really good final push for worlds in a few weeks time.”
Winnipeg’s Leanne Taylor returned to elite racing with a solid fourth-place performance in the women’s wheelchair classification. Taylor also overcame a penalty on the course en route to a time of 1:04:30.
Australia’s Lauren Park took stop on the podium with a time of 59:14.
The Paris Test Event wraps up on Sunday with the mixed team relays.
Complete Paralympic Test Event Results
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