VICTORIA—Canada’s triathletes are energized to begin a new journey towards Paris 2024.
Triathlon Canada kicked off the new shortened-quadrennial by naming a group of 15 athletes replete with a mix of veteran leadership and podium potential with youthful energy and drive to its national program.
“We have assembled a unique group of athletes led by a talented group of high performers on the international stage, along with an inspired group of development athletes and their coaches who are all determined to see the Canadian national team race competitively against the world,” said Patrick Kelly, high-performance director, Triathlon Canada.
A medal-winning group of three Paralympians along with one guide, and two Olympians will be counted on leading Canada’s podium pursuit over the next year.
Two-time Paralympic medallist and a four-time World Champion, Stefan Daniel (Calgary), will be joined by 2020 Paralympic teammates, Jessica Tuomela (Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.) and Kamylle Frenette (Dieppe, N.B.) in the para program. Tuomela, who won a Paralympic silver medal at the 2000 Games in swimming, made her fourth trip to the Paralympics and first in triathlon last summer in Tokyo where she finished fifth. A bronze medallist at the 2019 World Championships, Tuomela will be guided by Emma Skaug (Victoria). A fourth-place finisher at the 2020 Paralympics and the last two World Championships, Kamylle Frenette will look to take the next step onto the podium on the road to Paris 2024.
Two athletes rich with multi-sport games experience – Tyler Mislawchuk (Oak Bluff, Man.) and Joanna Brown (Carp, Ont.) – will headline Triathlon Canada’s Olympic stream program in 2022.
Mislawchuk became the first Canadian in the 20-year history of triathlon being in the Olympic programme to win the Olympic Test Event. The 27-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 the Olympics last summer.
Joanna Brown will also look to build off her Olympic debut last summer in Tokyo. A bronze medallist at the Under-23 World Championships and Junior World Championships, the 29-year-old Brown is just the fourth Canadian ever to win a Commonwealth Games medal when she won the bronze in 2018. In 2019, she etched her name in the history books as just the third Canadian ever to podium on the World Triathlon Series, winning the bronze in Bermuda.
“These six athletes are fiercely determined to continue this program’s tradition of excellence, dating back to Simon Whitfield’s gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics. They are squarely focused on peak performances every time they hit the start line,” said Kelly. “With this group of proven performers continuing to lead the way, we have increased our attention on developing the next generation of athletes within this program to ensure our journey to international success continues well beyond 2024.”
Triathlon Canada also named nine athletes from across the country to its National Development Team. The group of five men and four women includes: Charles Paquet (Port-Cartier, Que.); Martin Sobey (Charlottetown, P.E.I.); Brock Hoel (Kelowna, B.C.); Léo Roy (Quebec City); Filip Mainville (Quebec City); Emy Legault (Ile Perrot, Que.); Maïra Carreau (La Prairie, Que.); Noémie Beaulieu (Quebec City); and Kira Gupta-Baltazar (Toronto).
“This is a young group of athletes who are focused on developing through to the 2024 Olympics and beyond,” added Kelly. “They are making steady progress in their continued development throughout our national and development programs, striving for continued improvements to compete with the world’s best. It is our goal to work with our sport and funding partners to ensure this group of athletes have the tools they require to succeed and, ultimately, contribute to Canada’s Olympic medal count.”
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, 2XU Canada, Training Peaks, Subaru Canada – 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.
