Paratriathlon

The paratriathlon is the variant of the triathlon for people with disabilities .

organization

Thomas Frühwirth - world record holder in the paratriathlon over 7:48 hours (3.8 km swimming, 180 km cycling and 42.195 km running)

The sport is organized on an international level by the International Triathlon Union (ITU).
At the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro , medals were awarded in a total of six Paratriathlon competitions for the first time. They swam 750 m, rode 20 km and ran 5 km.

At the annual world championships of the ITU there is also a Paratriathlon world championship in all disability start classes.

Classes

There are six sport classes in Paratriathlon:

PTWC - wheelchair users
PTS2 - severe impairments
PTS3 - significant impairments
PTS4 - moderate impairments
PTS5 - mild impairments
PTVI - total or partial visual impairment

In the Paralympic triathlon competitions, a distinction was made between three classes for each gender, with class PT3 completely omitted.

Men

• PT1: Athletes with mobility limitations that prevent them from safely riding a traditional bicycle. You need a hand bike and a racing wheelchair .
• PT2: Athletes with a lower level of disability than PT1 athletes. Amputees are allowed to use prostheses or other aids during cycling and running competitions.
• PT4: Athletes suffering from hypertension , ataxia or similar neuromuscular diseases. You can use prostheses or other aids during cycling and running competitions.

Women

• PT2: Athletes with a lower degree of disability than PT1 athletes. Amputees are allowed to use prostheses or other aids during cycling and running competitions.
• PT4: Athletes suffering from hypertension , ataxia or similar neuromuscular diseases. You can use prostheses or other aids during cycling and running competitions.
• PT5: Blind and severely visually impaired athletes. You ride on a tandem with a sighted partner of the same gender and nation during the cycling competition . These partners are not included in the total number of participants, but can still win medals if they are successful.

Web links

• Official website of the International Paralympic Committee (English)
• German Paralympic Committee (NPC Germany)
• Austrian Paralympic Committee (ÖPC)
• Swiss Paralympic Committee (SPC)
• Official website of the International Triathlon Union

Individual evidence

1. ^ Gudrun Doll-Tepper (1999): Disability Sport. In: James Riordan , Arnd Krüger (eds.): The International Politics of Sport in the 20th Century . London: Routledge 1999, ISBN 0-419-21160-8 . Pp. 177-190