Paralympics Triathlon Get to Know

The triathlon events at the Paralympic Games will see all competitors from the different sport classes compete over a course of 750m swim, 20km cycle (bike/tandem/handbike) and 5km run (or racing wheelchair).

The medal events confirmed for Paris 2024 are the Men’s PTWC, PTS2, PTS3, PTS4, PTS5 and PTVI, and Women’s PTWC, PTS2, PTS4, PTS5 and PTVI, three more medal events than in Tokyo 2020.

Regarding the athlete quota, there will be 54 men (18 more than in Tokyo), 50 women (14 more than in Tokyo) and further 18 invitational spots with no gender pre-determined yet, making a total of 120 Para triathletes competing at the Paris 2024 Paralympics, 40 more than were at Tokyo 2020.

So, ahead of Paris 2024, why not get to know a little more about the events, athletes and classification?

Sport Class Explanation

The Paralympic Para triathlon qualifying system was reformatted for Tokyo to allow for classing-up in certain cases to potentially allow more athletes the opportunity to qualify. The Paris 2024 medal events are as follows:

PTWC in both genders: comprising both PTWC1 and PTWC2 sport classes;
PTVI in both genders: comprising PTVI1, PTVI2 and PTVI3 sport classes;
Men’s PTS2;
Men’s PTS3;
Men’s PTS4;
Men’s PTS5
Women’s PTS2;
Women’s PTS4: also including athletes from the PTS3 sport class;
Women’s PTS5.

The basic definitions for each of the classes in paratriathlon are as follows:

PTWC - Wheelchair users. Athletes must use a recumbent handcycle on the bike course and a racing wheelchair on the run segment.
PTS2 - Severe impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTS3 - Significant impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTS4 - Moderate impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTS5 - Mild impairments. In both bike and run segments, amputee athletes may use approved prosthesis or other supportive devices.
PTVI - Includes athletes who are partially sighted to totally blind. Must ride a tandem during the bike segment. One guide of the same nationality and gender is mandatory throughout the race.

Important rules

There are some particularities in Para triathlon, as athletes with varying levels of impairment need different support levels when exiting the water and before reaching the transition area.

There are swim-exit assistants who may assist the athletes upon swim exit depending on the swim cap colour, providing full lifting (red swim cap) or support assistance (yellow swim cap). There is a designated pre-transition area for athletes to collect their assistive devices (PTS2 to PTS4) or access their daily wheelchairs and be stripped by their handlers if needed (PTWC).

Athletes can use conventional bikes with approved adaptations (PTS2, PTS3 & PTS4 classes), a tandem (PTVI) or handcycle (PTWC).

The final section is a 5 km run, which athletes can complete in racing wheelchairs (PTWC), running with or without support of assistive devices (PTS2, PTS3 & PTS4) or alongside their guides (PTVI).

In the PTVI medal event, totally blind athletes (PTVI1) have an advantage through the interval start system. The men start 3’21’’ ahead of the partially sighted field and the women 3’48 ahead.

The PTWC medal event also uses the interval start system. The PTWC1 men start 3’08’’ ahead of the rest of the field and PTWC1 women start 4’04’’ ahead.