VICTORIA—Canada’s triathletes are charging into the highly-anticipated pre-Paralympic and Olympic year replete with veteran leadership mixed with youthful energy and drive.
Triathlon Canada officially kicked off the critical 2023 season by naming a determined line up of 14 athletes with dreams of qualifying for Paris 2024 while donning the maple leaf at international competitions this summer.
“This is an inspired group of athletes and coaches who have achieved their performance goals at every step of their development,” said Phil Dunne, high-performance director, Triathlon Canada. “Depth is critical to having the opportunity to mix it up with the world’s best and race at the front of an international pack. We have a nice blend of veterans and NextGen athletes supporting each other in a healthy environment while pushing each other to achieve their individual and team goals.”
An accomplished group of four Paralympians along with one guide and one Olympian headline the Canadian senior squad this year.
Two-time Paralympic medallist and a five-time World Champion, Stefan Daniel (Calgary), will be joined by 2020 Paralympic teammates, Jessica Tuomela (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) Kamylle Frenette (Dieppe, N.B.) and Leanne Taylor (Winnipeg) in the para program. Tuomela, who won a Paralympic silver medal at the 2000 Games in swimming, added a Commonwealth Games bronze medal to her resume last season – one year after making her fourth trip to the Paralympics and first in triathlon where she finished fifth. A bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships, Tuomela will be guided by Emma Skaug (Victoria). A bronze medallist at the 2022 World Championships, and fourth-place finisher at the 2020 Paralympics, Kamylle Frenette is hungry to get back on the start line for the race to Paris 2024. Taylor earned a spot onto her first National Team after a medal winning season where she captured a trio of international podium performances.
“I’m looking forward to getting the pre-Paralympic year underway. Everybody on the team had a great year last year, and we’re looking to keep the momentum going,” said Stefan Daniel. “I want to continue to work on my riding this season, and be able to ride with the top guys in the sport by the end of year. The main goal is to win nthe World Championships in September and gain some additional confidence for 2024. It will be tough to do with how competitive my category is getting, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
A two-time Olympian in Tyler Mislawchuk (Oak Bluff, Man.) along with two rising stars, Emy Legault (L’Île Perrot, Que.), and Charles Paquet (Quebec City), top Triathlon Canada’s Olympic stream program in 2023.
Mislawchuk became the first Canadian in the 20-year history of triathlon being in the Olympic programme to win the Olympic Test Event for Tokyo 2020. The 28-year-old’s victory in Tokyo (August 2019) capped off a breakthrough season where he won the first two World Cup races of his career before going on to capture his first ever World Triathlon Series podium by winning the bronze in Montreal in 2019. Mislawchuk posted his second-straight 15th place finish at the Tokyo Olympics. After dealing with a season of injuries and setbacks, he is now healthy and ready for the push to Paris.
The 27-year-old Legault enjoyed a breakthrough season in 2022 where she rattled off four podium finishes on the Amercas Triathlon Cup series in addition to posting two, top-12 finishes on the World Triathlon Championships Series and a 10th-place finish at the Commonwealth Games.
Charles Paquet is one of Canada’s most promising triathletes. In addition to being a part of Canada’s silver-medal winning mixed relay team at the 2019 Pan American Games, Paquet has consistently delivered podium performances on the Americas Cup circuit and is now poised to challenge the world’s best. He was 10th at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
“Being a part of a national team for any sport is a big achievement in itself that I will never take for granted. I have a lot of pride for my results last year that allowed me to gain a spot on Triathlon Canada’s national team for the first time,” said Legault. “Countless hours went into achieving performances that would put me in a position to be selected. I’m very proud to be a part of this amazing team of talented and hard working athletes. Canada has a bright future in triathlon, and I’m honoured to be a part of this group and wear the maple leaf in 2023.”
Triathlon Canada also named six athletes from across the country to its National Development Team. The group of three women and three men include: Kamille Larocque (Quebec City); Maïra Carreau (La Prairie, Que.); Noémie Beaulieu (Quebec City); Liam Donnelly (Victoria); Brock Hoel (West Kelowna, B.C.); and Mathis Beaulieu (Quebec City).
“This young group of athletes have proven they can deliver when it counts at all levels of their development pathway. Each of our National Team athletes in both the Olympic and Paralympic programs have achieved podium results against the best triathletes in the world,” said Phil Dunne. “This is also an extremely promising group of National Development Team athletes who are equally determined to achieve their performance goals. It is our goal to work with our funding partners to ensure this group of athletes have the tools they require to succeed.”
Triathlon Canada is the governing body of the sport in the country. Triathlon Canada’s more than 22,000 members include athletes, coaches and officials from the grassroots to elite levels. With the support of its valued corporate partners – 94 FORWARD, Training Peaks, Subaru Canada, Z3R0D, Tribe Solutions, Champion System Canada, BOCO Gear Canada, ZiZU Optics, Outway Performance Socks, SCICON, SportsShare and FulGaz – along with the City of Victoria, Government of Canada, Canadian Olympic Committee, Canadian Paralympic Committee, and Own the Podium, Triathlon Canada develops Olympic, Paralympic and World Champions in all race disciplines. For more information on Triathlon Canada, please visit us at www.triathloncanada.com.