Europe Triathlon

It was another groundbreaking year in Para triathlon across 2022, with the World Championships Abu Dhabi preceded by three Para Series events, four Para Cups, the first ever PTVI Commonwealth Games racing, the inaugural Para Triathlon Conference and a historic first Para Triathlon Mixed Relay showcase in Abu Dhabi.

The big numbers behind 2022

The year saw a total of 208 Para Triathletes competing across those events from 42 different countries. Spain had the highest number of athletes representing in all competitions with 28 men and women across the six categories, the USA the next highest with 26 followed by France (22).

In terms of medal success, the USA Para athletes end 2022 with the biggest haul of silverware with 17 gold, silver and bronze medals in all, one more than Spain’s total, while France finish the year with the third highest total of 12.

Victory for Netherlands’ Jetze Plat H2 at the Abu Dhabi World Championships was his 22nd straight international win and his 6th successive world title. France’s Alexis Hanquinquant won a 5th consecutive title in the PTS4 category in the UAE, Susana Rodriguez B1 won her 4th straight world title in the women’s PTVI category.

Fresh faces making waves

Spain’s young talent Andrea Miguelez Ranz established herself on the women’s PTS4 category with a world title-winning display in Abu Dhabi, just a year after winning the PTS3 title in the same city.

In the women’s PTVI category, Italian Francesca Tarantello B3 was able to exert a little late pressure over Rodrigues and will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in the lead up to Paris 2024, as will Katie Crowhurst B3 (GBR) who flew to Commonwealth Games gold just 12 months after her first major international race.

On the men’s side, Australia’s Jack Howell and Hungary’s Bence Mocsari (PTS5), GB’s Oscar Kelly B3 and American Owen Cravens B3 (PTVI) all proved themselves exciting young talents ready to take the sport by storm in the coming years.