The first Para Triathlon Series event of 2022 gets underway in Yokohama this weekend, featuring Paralympic gold medalists from Tokyo 2020 and rising stars hoping to plot a route to Paris 2024.
Once again the 750m harbour swim transitions into a 20km bike through the city streets, with tight turns around the Kanagawa government building and in front of the iconic ferris wheel across the four laps. The run will be a three-lap 5km for all but the racing wheelchairs, that will take a single lap to the finish.
You can watch the action live and on-demand over on TriathlonLive.tv.
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The men’s PTWC will be an intense battle for the medals between USA’s Howie Sanborn H1, Australia’s Nic Beveridge H1, Dutchman Brendan Bischoff H2 and local favourite Jumpei Kimura H1. Beveridge’s previous best finish here was 4th place in 2019 and he will certainly be eyeing a first Yokohama medal, Asian Champion Kimura was 5th here last year and knows he won’t have many better opportunities to land a precious home gold.
The women’s wheelchair category will be a straight battle for the podium positions between Brazil’s Jessica Ferreira H1, Magret Ijdema H1 of the Netherlands and Canadian Leanne Taylor H1. Ferreira won silver here last year and finished tantalising close to a Paralympic medal, so will have all the inspiration required for another big performance this weekend.
It is hard to look beyond another gold for current World and Olympic Champion Alexis Hanquinquant in the men’s PTS4 race, though Brazil’s Jorge Luis Fonseca and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Hideki Uda (JPN) will look to put the pressure on before the Frenchman finds his usual impressive run rhythm. The women’s race sees Carmen Gonzalez Sanchez (ESP) and USA’s Kelly Worrell battle it out for the honours.
In the women’s PTS5 race, the USA’s Rio 2016 Olympic Champion and Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Grace Norman goes in as favourite, Ukraine’s Alisa Kolpakchy hoping to summon the kind of big performance that saw her to bronze in Abu Dhabi in November, World Duathlon and Cross Triathlon Para Champion Cristina Miranda Zambrano makes her WTPS debut.
The men’s PTS5 looks set to be a gripping contest with Brazilian duo Ronan Cordeiro and Carlos Rafael Viana eager to build on solid displays at Tokyo 2020, the Paralympic silver medalist George Peasgood (GBR) also among the pre-race favourites and young Hungarian Bence Mocsari ready to make an impact.
The women’s PTVI race will boast Paralympic Champion Susana Rodriguez B1 up against 2019 Worlds bronze medallist Jessica Tuomela B1, who will have to pile on the pressure during the swim if she is to prevent the Spaniard’s charge to gold, while a deep men’s field has USA’s Kyle Coon B1 ready for a big campaign, going up against the likes of Jonathan Goerlach B3 (AUS) Jose Garcia B1 (ESP) and Anatolii Varfolomieiev B1 (UKR).
The PTS2 men sees Lionel Morales (ESP) and Mohamed Lahna (USA) go head-to-head with Melissa Stockwell the sole female in the category and it is another Spaniard, the hugely experienced Kini Carrasco, taking on Justin Godfrey (AUS) for this year’s men’s PTS3 title.
For the full start lists, click here.
