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Universal Sports:
Paratriathlon in the United States took a step forward at the Accenture USA Paratriathlon National Championships on Sunday.
The paratriathlon, which consists of six disability classifications including visual impairment, amputations and paraplegics, attracted 53 competitors in New York City. The number reflects the most participants in a paratri event in the world.
“(Sunday’s race) is the benchmark of paratri sport and competition,” Peter Harsch, athlete coordinator for the U.S. Paratriathlon Team, said this week by phone. “It’s not like back in the day when 13 athletes showed up and they said just do your thing. Race directors are starting to recognize, ‘wow, this is a group of athletes that are competing at a high level.’”
American Aaron Scheidies (pictured) showed race directors the high level of competition some paratriathletes provide. Scheidies, who is visually impaired, was the top paratriathlete in two hours 2:15, a time that would have placed him tenth in the elite age group field.
Scheidies’ time qualified him for a chance to reclaim his title of world champion. Paratriathletes qualified for the World Championships by finishing under four hours in Sunday’s race. The ITU Triathlon World Championships are in September in Australia.
“I’m going to go hardcore the next month,” Scheidies said regarding his training. He has won the World Championships in 2002, 2003 and 2006.
The 2008 world and U.S. champion JP Theberge successfully defended his championship in the below-the-knee amputee category, taking advantage of seamless transitions to beat four-time world champion Paul Martin by nearly three minutes in 2:13:17.
Oscar Sanchez, defending U.S. champion in the wheelchair division, was in hot pursuit of Theberge. Though he competes in the wheelchair division his goal was to beat the below-the-knee amputees.
Sanchez finished first in the wheelchair division in 2:14:30, but after passing Paul Martin and Rivaldo Martins, second and third respectively in the below-the-knee amputee division, he failed to catch Theberge.
Since a handcycle sits lower to the ground than a bicycle, Sanchez is forced to shout at able-bodied competitors warning them when he wants to pass.
“On the bike portion I must have yelled out ‘on your left’ like 600 times,” he said.
Weaving became more dangerous during the run for Sanchez, who uses a racing wheelchair. He moves through a 10k faster than most runners, and this year he refused to slow down.
“I had a few close calls. I ran over a couple of people’s toes, was up on two wheels (a racing chair has three wheels) a few times,” said Sanchez, who apologized to the runners during the phone interview.
Many officials and athletes involved in disabled sports believe that the elite performances in New York City demonstrate where the sport is heading.
“What we are seeing is that other triathlons recognize the draw from the paratriathletes, the numbers (of competitors) it is bringing,” Harsch said. “Any triathlon is going to want to bring great media and great stories to their venue.”
Up next for the world’s top paratriathletes is the World Invitational Paratriathlon August 15 in London. Many of the top American athletes, ncluding Scheidies and Sanchez, will compete in the sprint distance (300m swim, 10k bike, 3k run) held in conjunction with the Dextro Energy World Championship London.
From Universal Sports:
