Paratriathlon Start Time: 11.30pm, Saturday, June 28 (AEST)
WA’s Brant Garvey created history with his win in the opening World Paratriathlon Series race in Yokohama in May and will be searching for more success against some solid US opposition.
He will be keen to continue his rise to the top of the PT2 athletes against Pan American Champion Mark Barr USA and 2nd placegetter Sean Vangerena (USA) who will provide testing competition.  |
Australia’s most celebrated Paratriathlete, the Gold Coast’s -time world champion Bill Chaffey will have a host of US opponents in the PT1 category for wheelchair athletes.
His main opposition will be the USA’s Krige Schabort, who was third to Chaffey in the London ITU World Championships last year.
The Stephen Moss coaches Chaffey will be looking to get a fast time and confirm his position as the leading PT1 paratriathlete in the world after his Dutch rival Jetze Plat scored a fast win at the European Championships in Kitzbuehel last weekend.
Australia’s PT4 representative, Jack Swift will be looking to demonstrate his improving skills developed with his coach, Olympic medallist Jan Rehula at the VIS and the 2012 Paralympian who represented in the 400m and 4x100m, will also unveil a new race bike.
Visually impaired PT5 class athlete Jonathan Goerlach from the NSW South Coast –and his guide Jack Bigmore are looking forward to their first international race since the 2012 Auckland World Championships.
Goerlach focused last year on purchasing a new quality tandem bike and progressing his training at the AIS in Canberra under coach Corey Bacon and is ready to show his ability on the world stage.
He can expect strong opposition will be Pan American champion Aaron Scheidies USA.
ABOUT THE RACE
Chicago will be the third-ever US city to host an ITU World Triathlon Series race – joining San Diego (2012 and 2013) and Washington D.C. (2009) – and in 2016 will be the first to host the World Triathlon Series Grand Final since the series was founded in 2009.
One-hundred and thirty of the world’s fastest triathletes – 65 elite men and 65 elite women – will compete in the draft-legal, standard-distance race (1500m swim, 40k bike and 10k run) along the shores of Lake Michigan.
The ITU World Triathlon Chicago race course will include such famous landmarks as Grant Park, the Art Institute of Chicago, Soldier Field and Millennium Park, and will culminate with a loop around Buckingham Fountain at the finish.
Athletes set to tackle the two-lap Lake Michigan swim before riding eight laps around the Windy City’s famous down town area before finishing up with a four-lap run along Columbus Drive on Saturday.
Paratriathletes will complete a sprint-distance course, which includes a 750m swim, 20km bike and 5km run.
Watch the races live here: https://triathlonlive.tv/
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