Paratriathlon heads stateside for Detroit WPE

by Chelsea White on 13 Aug, 2015 12:53 • Español

After the Rio de Janeiro Test Event, all eyes were on paratriathlon. With a showcase of talent and super-human ability, athletes gave the world a small taste of what is to come next summer as the sport debuts in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games.

This weekend, paratriathlon heads stateside to Michigan, USA for the 2015 Detroit ITU World Paratriathlon Event, in which contenders will have another chance to earn Paralympic qualifying points.

Hitting the PT2 category is three leading USA women. Melissa Stockwell is a three-time World Champion and took home the silver medal at the Rio Test Event. She will be sharing the start list with Allysa Seely and Sarah Reinertsen. Seely also raced in Rio and with the bronze medal, but also has earned three other podium finishes this year, including two WPE races (London and Besancon).

Patricia Walsh is an American who is a strong national paratriathlete and is sure to impress this weekend. She won the USA Paratriathlon National Championships in May and was also awarded the bronze medal at the Rio Test Event for the PT5 Women’s sport class. 

Great Britain’s George Peasgood stunned in Rio when he absolutely dominated in the swim and bike legs. While he ultimately finished sixth in the PT4 category, his impressive skills in the first two disciplines proved that if he can improve in the run he will certainly be the athlete to look out for. Contending Peasgood in PT4 will be Chris Hammer (USA). He took fourth place in Rio, but made podium in last year’s Grand Final in Edmonton. He also competes well on home soil, as he won the 2014 USA Paratriathlon National Championships.

On the women’s side for PT4, Clare Cunningham for Great Britain has made the rounds this WPE season. Making the podium in every race in which she competed, she took home the gold in WPE Buffalo City in March and has a strong chance of earning another in Detroit this weekend.

The women’s PT1 category is going to be a battle between Kendall Gretsch (USA) and Emily Tapp (AUS). Detroit will be the first WPE race that Gretsch has competed in this season, but she without a doubt will have her sights on a podium. She took gold in the Edmonton Grand Final last year, as well as gold in both the 2014 and 2015 USA Paratriathlon National Championships and has been undefeated since May 2014. Tapp however, is the one person who can take gold away from Gretsch as she also is an undefeated athlete, with her most recent win being at the WPE race in Yokohama this year.

USA’s Aaron Scheidies will be the one to beat in the PT5 category. Having a hometown advantage, Scheidies, who was born with a hereditary eye condition that left him with a vision impairment, is the reigning 2014 National and World Champion.

Click here for start lists


Article gallery
Related Event: 2015 Detroit ITU World Paratriathlon Event
16 Aug, 2015 • event pageall results
Results: Men's PT1
1. Fernando Aranha H2 BRA 01:01:22
2. José Vicente Arzo Diago H2 ESP 01:03:06
3. Alexandre Paviza H1 FRA 01:04:43
4. Nic Beveridge H1 AUS 01:05:42
5. Jacob Sharff USA 01:06:15
Results: Women's PT1
1. Kendall Gretsch H2 USA 01:07:14
2. Emily Tapp H1 AUS 01:18:07
Results: Men's PT2
1. Ryan Taylor GBR 01:05:32
2. Andrew Lewis GBR 01:06:51
3. Lionel Morales ESP 01:07:45
4. Mohamed Lahna USA 01:08:31
5. Brian Norberg USA 01:13:19
Results: Women's PT2
1. Melissa Stockwell USA 01:19:31
2. Allysa Seely USA 01:20:37
3. Sarah Reinertsen USA 01:30:51
4. Kimberly Fawcett-Smith CAN 01:50:43
Results: Men's PT3
1. Andre Cilliers USA 01:06:17
2. Kini Carrasco ESP 01:10:20
3. Edson Dantas BRA 01:10:51
4. Mike Wong USA 01:12:57
5. Craig Vogtsberger USA 01:15:39
Results: Women's PT3
1. Andrea Walton USA 01:29:04
Results: Men's PT4
1. Chris Hammer USA 00:56:58
2. George Peasgood GBR 00:58:10
3. José Abraham Estrada Sierra MEX 00:58:42
4. Jamie Brown USA 01:00:26
5. Aidan McGlynn IRL 01:01:27
Results: Women's PT4
1. Clare Cunningham GBR 01:06:07
2. Grace Norman USA 01:07:15
3. Kate Næss AUS 01:08:59
4. Chantal Givens CAN 01:09:26
5. Ruth-Ann Reeves USA 01:12:47
Results: Men's PT5
1. Aaron Scheidies B2 USA 00:55:02
2. Jeremy Winters USA 01:06:35
Results: Women's PT5
1. Patricia Walsh B1 USA 01:08:55
2. Elizabeth Baker B3 USA 01:12:41
3. Amy Dixon B3 USA 01:14:33
4. Catherine Walsh B3 IRL 01:15:52
5. Christine Robbins B3 CAN 01:17:30
Tracker Pixel for Entry