Devonport, Australia, is ready to stage the first race of the 2023 World Triathlon Para Series with some of the biggest names of para triathlon ready to start their season. 48 of the world’s best para triathletes will start on Saturday 18th March (from 8am local time) with six medal events per gender up for the taking and valuable ranking points in the 2023 World Triathlon Para Series Devonport.
PTWC Men
In the men’s PTWC category, the competition is headlined by Australia’s Paralympian Nic Beveridge who will be ready to put it all on the line in front of a home crowd and plot his pathway to the next Paralympic Games in Paris in 2024. Beveridge claimed gold recently in the 2023 Oceania Triathlon Para Championships Stockton and finished in 7th place in the World Triathlon Championship Finals Abu Dhabi at the end of 2022. USA’s Howie Sanborn and Japan’s Jumpei Kimura will prove fierce competition for Beveridge on Saturday morning as they go head-to-head to take the title in the first edition of the 2023 World Triathlon Para Series. These men have an incredible amount of race experience against each so expect some extraordinary battles on the race course.
PTWC Women
World champion and Paralympic silver medallist Lauren Parker will be using Devonport as an opportunity to polish her transitions and tactics in race mode. Parker, who is coached by Australia’s Dan Atkins, has had a brilliant start to the year with a win at the 2023 Oceania Triathlon Para Championships Stockton.
PTS5 Men
The men’s PTS5 class Australia’s David Bryant, who took the tape in 2023 Oceania Triathlon Para Championships Stockton will be one to watch in Devonport. Bryant will be eager to go one better on his performance in 2020, when the Para Series was last in Devonport where earned the silver medal. Frenchman Antoine Besse who recently earned silver in the 2023 World Triathlon Para Cup Abu Dhabi in March has arrived in Devonport with strong early season form and will be vying top spot on the WTPS podium in Devonport.
PTVI Men
Spain’s Jose Luis García Serrano (and Guide Adrian Salto Saez) took the title in the 2022 ESP Paratriathlon National Championships and will be looking for a strong result and to earn valuable ranking points ahead of Paralympic qualification commencing in July. USA’s Owen Cravens (and Guide Ben Hoffman) won in last week’s 2023 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Sarasota and Australia’s Commonwealth Games medallist Sam Harding (and Guide Luke Harvey) are the men that are going to make it tough for Serrano. Harding claimed the gold medal in February’s 2023 Oceania Triathlon Para Championships Stockton. Commonwealth Games representative Rhys Jones (GBR) and Serbia’s Lazar Filipovic are marked as picks for the podium, across the para triathlon sprint-distance course in Tasmania, Australia.
PTVI Women
In the women’s PTVI category New Zealand’s Maria Williams, has teamed up with sporting legend Melissa Moon, a two-time world mountain running champion, who won their first national triathlon title in New Plymouth lines, to tackle the para triathlon sprint distance course in Devonport. Williams is highly motivated to give her best performance in Australia and is excited about the WTPS season ahead.
PTS2 Women
Australia’s Anu Francis is an athlete on the rise in para triathlon and will headline the women’s category after an outstanding 2022 season. Francis earned a brilliant bronze in the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Finals Abu Dhabi and the silver medal in the 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea.
PTS4 Women
The women’s PTS4 category is stacked with talent with the likes of Australia’s Sally Pilbeam and USA stars Kelly Worrell and Emma Meyers.
PTS4 Men
Just like the women’s field, the men’s PTS4 category is highly competitive. Australia’s Jeremy Peacock, who earned bronze in the 2022 World Triathlon Championship Finals Abu Dhabi, is the race favourite but he will be faced with stiff competition with the likes of his compatriot Liam Twomey and rising star Carson Clough (USA) who recently won gold in the 2023 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Sarasota. Spain’s Alejandro Sánchez Palomero earned bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and will be looking to set his season up with a successful race in Devonport and he builds towards Paralympic qualification from July 2023. Review the full Elite para start lists.
PTS2 MEN
USA’s Mohamed Lahna produced podium performances in 2022 with a silver in WTPS Yokohama and a silver in WTPS Yokohama and lines up in Devonport in the men’s PTS2 category as one to watch this season. Fellow countryman Adam Popp who crossed the finish line in 2022 WTPS Montreal and Swansea will no doubt put it all on the line for the first race of the 2023 WTPS season in Devonport and fight for the podium.
PTS3 MEN
Australia’s Justin Godfrey earned gold in 2022 WTPS Yokohama and Montreal and crossed the finish line 2022 World Triathlon Championship Finals Abu Dhabi. Godfrey has his focus on a gold medal performance on home soil in Devonport.
Devonport is ready to roll out the blue carpet and host the opening race of the 2023 World Triathlon Para Series. The event boasts a stunning sprint-distance course, located on the Coast of Tasmania alongside the Mersey River and the Bass Strait coast. The community is rich in triathlon history and support, hosting many triathlon and multisport events in the region.
Follow the race live and on-demand over on TriathlonLive.tv from 7.45am local time on Saturday 18th March.
Pathway to Paris 2024
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has approved the Para Triathlon qualification system for Paris 2024, with 120 places on the line. At Paris 2024, medals are to be awarded for men and women in the PTWC, PTVI, PTS2, PTS4 and PTS5 categories, while medals are also to be awarded to men in the PTS3 competition. For all medal events, except the women’s PTS4, the nine top-ranked athletes on the World Triathlon Paralympic Qualification Ranking as of July 1 2024 will earn their nation a quota spot. There are a maximum of two spots available per National Paralympic Committee (NPC), per medal event. For the women’s PTS4, the top nine PTS4 athletes qualify under the same rules as the other categories, but the top five PTS3 athletes also qualify with a total maximum of three athletes per NPC.
