PARIS, Fra.—Canada’s Tyler Mislawchuk will have a year to find the seconds he needs to close the gap and achieve his dream of standing on the Olympic podium after a 13th-place finish in the Paris Triathlon Test Event on Friday.
The 28-year-old clocked a time of 1:42:17 against the deepest triathlon field of the year, all sneaking their first look at the historic Olympic triathlon course.
“This has been a super consistent year. I haven’t been out of the top-15 once this year in seven races,” said the Oak Bluff, Man. resident. “I’m missing that final gear to compete for the podium with these guys.
‘It doesn’t take much. Today I wasn’t with the lead guys on the run, but once you are gone you are gone so I just need to find that extra gear. Overall, I’m satisfied. I wouldn’t say disappointed or stoked but somewhere in the middle.”
The two-time Olympian was steady for the 1.5-kilometre swim, 40-kilometre bike and 10-kilometre run course that took the world’s best triathletes past Paris’ iconic landmarks including the Champs Élysées, Pont Alexander III, Assemblee National, and Eiffel Tower.
“The course was epic. I don’t think it gets much better than that, with the historic landmarks around the course,” said Mislawchuk, who became the first Canadian triathlete ever to win an Olympic Test Event when he triumphed in Tokyo four years ago. “They have freshly smoothed pavement, along with the cobbles on top is epic.
‘The race was a mixed bag of emotions. This is basically the most competitive race in the world so to finish 13th is obviously pretty good, but you are obviously wanting more.”
The target will be on Great Britain’s Alex Yee over the next 12 months until the world descends on Paris for the 2024 Olympic Summer Games. Yee was 13 seconds clear of the field, running to gold with a time of 1:41:02.
Portugal’s Viasco Vilaca won the sprint for the silver in a photo finish at 1:41:15. Dorian Coninx settled for the bronze medal after crossing the line in the same time.
Brock Hoel, of West Kelowna, B.C., clocked-in at 1:43:50 for 37th spot.
The top women’s triathletes on the planet hit the start line on Thursday. Canada’s Dominika Jamnicky continued her breakthrough season, finishing in 29th with a time of 1:56:42.
“It was an honour to line up in my first Olympic Test Event. I made the most of the experience and I’m happy to crack the top-30,” said the Guelph, Ont. resident. “It’s a motivating performance and showing progress trending in the right direction.
“The local organizing committee have gone above and beyond to make this race feel like the real deal. Paris is an iconic destination, and this course really showcases that.”
Emy Legault , of Ile Perrot, Que., placed 40th with a time of 1:58:20.
Beth Potter, of Great Britain, was crowned women’s champ after crossing the finish line with a time of 1:51:40. Cassandre Beaugrand, of France, was the next best finisher at 1:51:46. Germany’s Laura Lindemann stopped the clock at 1:51:59.
The Paralympic Test Event is set for Saturday in Paris.
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, Aquaman, Tribe Solutions, Champion System Canada, BOCO Gear Canada, ZiZU Optics, Outway Performance Socks, SCICON, SportShare, WestJet 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.