PARIS, Fra.— Leanne Taylor became the first Canadian woman ever to win a medal in Paralympic triathlon on a glorious Monday morning in the heart of Paris.
The 32-year-old stormed back on the run portion of the triple-sport test to win the bronze medal in the women’s wheelchair classification, clocking a time of 1:12:11.
“This is amazing. I don’t think it has really set in yet,” said Taylor. “It was a really tough day for me. I wasn’t feeling well coming into the race. I think I maybe had my first Games kind of nerves. This is a lot more to take on than you realize. You think you are mentally prepared and then you get here and are like ‘oh my goodness, this is big!’
“I was really nervous about how hard I was going to be able to push. You train for years for this so you want to be able to give everything on the day.”
And that she did.
Once the start horn sent the world’s best triathletes with a disability off into the Seine River for a 750-metre swim, Taylor was relentless in her push.
She came out of the water with a trio of women in fourth spot.
With Australia’s Lauren Parker and Kendall Gretsch (United States) blasting off the front, Taylor locked in for a head-to-head battle for the final spot on the podium with two of her friendly rivals – Brazil’s Jessica Ferreira and Spain’s Eva Maria Moral Pedrero while zipping past Paris’ iconic landmarks including Pont Alexander III, Champs Élysées, Arc de Triomphe, the Assemblee National and Eiffel Tower on the 20-kilometre bike course.
The Winnipegger, who now calls Oak Bluff on the outskirts of the Manitoba city home, was greeted in second transition by her handler and husband, Scott Dyck, who quickly helped load her from the hand cycle onto the racer before darting out for the strongest of her three disciplines – the five-kilometre run – in fourth spot.
She quickly vaulted into a podium spot when Brazil’s Ferreira crashed early in the first of two laps on the out-and-back run course.
“When I was on the run, my coach (Carolyn Murray) had told me I was in third. I saw which athletes were behind me and what the gap was, so I realized all I had to do was hold on,” added Taylor. “Coming into the finish chute, I was just looking for my husband to let him know that we had done it.”
Australia’s Parker broke the finishing tape with a time of 1:06:23. Gretsch claimed the silver medal at 1:07:46.
It has been quite a ride for Taylor who was left paralyzed from the waist down following a mountain bike accident just six years ago. A triathlon journey that started out as a joke with friends and family while she lay in a hospital bed to help make me feel better and provide hope, turned into a dream that was realized with grit, determination and effort.
Taylor made steady progression throughout her development pathway, narrowly missing qualifying for the Tokyo Paralympics. Digging deep over the last three years, she finally entered the podium potential discussions for Paris in June after winning her first World Triathlon Para Series gold medal in Swansea, Wales.
“This whole journey started out as a wild dream,” laughed Taylor. “It really wasn’t until earlier this year that we then dared to dream a medal was possible.”
Taylor realized that dream in front of a group of 29 of her top supporters from the prairies – draped in Canadian flags and red and white clothing – who made the trip to the French Capital to cheer her on to Paralympic glory.
“I had so many friends and family that are here to support me. It meant so much to me to have a performance that got them to cheer even louder than they already were,” said an emotional Taylor.
“This medal means a tonne to me. There is a massive group of people (here and at home) who supported me to get to this point. Just to have something to now show them, that this is why we did it, and it was worth it. Having that tangible item to say this is the work we put in, is huge. I’m so excited to go home and thank the people whose medal this really is.”
Later in the day, Kamylle Frenette finished fourth for the second-straight time at the Paralympics in the women’s standing classification.
Frenette, of Dieppe, N.B., was solid throughout the swim, bike and run, completing the sprint-distance course in a time of 1:09:50.
“There was some good and some bad today. Of course I wanted to be on the podium, but high expectations also comes with big challenges,” said Frenette. “I am a bit disappointed but that is sport and I’m proud of my effort.”
Frenette, a pharmacy professional, was also fourth at the 2020 Paralympics in Tokyo.
American Grace Norman won the women’s race with a time of 1:04:40. Two British athletes rounded out the podium. Claire Cashmore was second at 1:05:55, while Lauren Steadman snagged the bronze at 1:06:45.
Meanwhile, Stefan Daniel’s quest for a third-straight Paralympic medal came to a heartbreaking end after he crashed in the fourth lap of the bike.
After coming out of the water in sixth place, the 27-year-old Calgarian charged to the front of the men’s standing race early in the five-lap bike course. Increasing his gap on the chasers as the race progressed, Daniel was in complete control until the fourth lap where his gold-medal hopes came to a halt when he crashed on the final hairpin turn.
With the men’s standing field charging head of him, Daniel picked himself up off the road and finished 10th with a time of 1:03:58.
“You only get to the Paralympics so many times in your life. I always believe that if you have the ability to finish a race, then you always should do that. When I realized my bike was okay, I got back on and was determined to cross the finish line.”
Chris Hammer, of the United States, was crowned Paralympic champion with a time of 58:44. Brazil’s Ronan Cordeiro clocked-in at 59:01, while Germany’s Martin Schulz grabbed the bronze at 59:19.
Complete Paralympic Triathlon Results:
