EDMONTON, Alberta — A trio of American paratriathletes claimed gold medals as part of the ITU World Paratriathlon Series (WPS) on Friday, with Allysa Seely, Mark Barr and Grace Norman leading the way for the U.S. in Hawrelak Park to kick off a weekend full of triathlon action.

Seely (Glendale, Ariz.) and Barr (Houston, Texas), who both compete in the PTS2 division, earned their third consecutive WPS wins after claiming victory in Yokohama, Japan, and Iseo, Italy, earlier this year. Norman (Jamestown, Ohio) topped the podium in the women’s PTS5 division to better her silver medal from the Yokohama series stop.

The U.S. earned seven total medals in Edmonton, racing across a 750-meter swim, 19.8-kilometer bike and 5-kilometer run course. Hailey Danz (Wauwatosa, Wis.), Elizabeth Baker (Signal Mountain, Tenn.) and Aaron Scheidies (Seattle, Wash.) claimed silver medals, while Amy Dixon (Encinitas, Calif.) took home bronze.

Seely led the women’s PTS2 division with a final time of 1 hour, 21 minutes, 54 seconds. Though she trailed the field out of the water, she made up ground quickly on the 19.8k bike leg, closing with a 24:35 5k run for her third WPS title of the year. Danz clocked in at 1:23:02 for her third WPS podium of 2018, more than 5 minutes ahead of bronze medalist Yukako Hata of Japan. Melissa Stockwell (Chicago, Ill.) finished fourth in 1:29:09.

Barr’s run was an essential ingredient in his win against the men’s PTS2 competitors, fighting his way back from a deficit on the bike with a 21:39 5k run to post a finishing time of 1:09:19. Silver medalist Maurits Morsink of The Netherlands finished 10 seconds behind Barr in 1:09:29 followed by Russia’s Vasily Egorov, who took third in 1:11:11. Mohamed Lahna (Colorado Springs, Colo.) narrowly missed the podium in the men’s PTS2 division, taking fourth in 1:11:48. Allan Armstrong (Colorado Springs, Colo.) finished in 1:23:20 for eighth.

Norman won the women’s PTS5 division in 1:11:45, piecing together a solid effort to best Canada’s Kamylle Frenette by more than 20 seconds.

“I had a good race, I really gave it all on the bike. Coming in to this race I had a heavy bike focus and worked on my climbing which really played to my advantage,” Norman said in a post-race interview with ITU. “I love racing here, the course is always clean and there were a ton of spectators at the top of that hill, which is really appreciated. It’s a really well-run race.”

Baker earned her second straight WPS silver medal in the women’s PTVI division, posting a time of 1:16:08. Dixon’s bronze medal performance was also her second of the season, and a repeat of the bronze medal won in Edmonton last year. Dixon finished in 1:18:02. Canadian Jessica Tuomela won the division in 1:14:59.

Scheidies returned to the WPS circuit for the first time this season, posting a time of 1:02:15 to grab the silver medal in the men’s PTVI division. Jonathan Goerlach of Australia took the top spot on the podium in 1:01:40 while Canada’s Jon Dunkerley finished more than 2 minutes behind Scheidies in 1:04:34.

Zach Young (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) and Howie Sanborn (Denver, Colo.) finished seventh and eighth in the men’s PTWC division, respectively. Young finished in 1:27:58, with Sanborn coming at 1:35:25. Alexandre Paviza of France claimed victory in the men’s PTWC division in 1:07:43, followed by fellow countryman Ahmed Andaloussi, who took silver in 1:09:30, and Japan’s Jumpei Kimura, who claimed bronze in 1:09:47.

Omar Bermejo (Casper, Wyo.) and Joel Rosinbum (Austin, Texas) also represented the U.S. on Friday, competing in the men’s PTS4 division. Bermejo took eighth in 1:12:18, just 10 seconds ahead of Rosinbum in ninth. Austria’s Oliver Dreier was the men’s PTS4 winner in 1:06:34, while Russia’s Mikhail Kolmakov finished in 1:06:48 for silver and Japan’s Hideki Uda finished third in 1:07:07.

With three races complete as part of the 2018 ITU World Paratriathlon Series, the Americans head into the final race with a total of 20 medals won across the series this season. The ITU Paratriathlon World Championships in Gold Coast, Australia, will conclude the season, with the races set for Sept. 15.

2018 ITU World Paratriathlon Edmonton
750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run | Complete Results

PTWC Women
1. Wakako Tsuchida (JPN), 1:19:16
2. Emily Tapp (AUS), 1:26:48
3. Brenda Osnaya Alvarez (MEX), 1:45:04

PTWC Men
1. Alexandre Paviza (FRA), 1:07:43
2. Ahmed Andaloussi (FRA), 1:09:30
3. Jumpei Kimura (JPN), 1:09:47
7. Zach Young (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), 1:27:58
8. Howie Sanborn (Denver, Colo.), 1:35:25

PTS2 Women
1. Allysa Seely (Glendale, Ariz.), 1:21:54
2. Hailey Danz (Wauwatosa, Wis.), 1:23:02
3. Yukako Hata (JPN), 1:28:20
4. Melissa Stockwell (Chicago, Ill.), 1:29:09

PTS2 Men
1. Mark Barr (Houston, Texas), 1:09:19
2. Maurits Morsink (NED), 1:09:29
3. Vasily Egorov (RUS), 1:11:11
4. Mohamed Lahna (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:11:48
8. Allan Armstrong (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 1:23:20

PTS4 Women
1. Cassie Cava (IRL), 1:34:30

PTS4 Men
1. Oliver Dreier (AUT), 1:06:34
2. Mikhail Kolmakov (RUS), 1:06:48
3. Hideki Uda (JPN), 1:07:07
8. Omar Bermejo (Casper, Wyo.), 1:12:18
9. Joel Rosinbum (Austin, Texas), 1:12:28

PTS5 Women
1. Grace Norman (Jamestown, Ohio), 1:11:45
2. Kamylle Frenette (CAN), 1:12:06

PTS5 Men
1. Stefan Daniel (CAN), 58:54
2. Martin Schulz (GER), 59:59
3. Alexandr Ialchik (RUS), 1:02:54

PTVI Women
1. Jessica Tuomela (CAN), 1:14:59
2. Elizabeth Baker (Signal Mountain, Tenn.), 1:16:08
3. Amy Dixon (Encinitas, Calif.), 1:18:02

PTVI Men
1. Jonathan Goerlach (AUS), 1:01:40
2. Aaron Scheidies (Seattle, Wash.), 1:02:15
3. Jon Dunkerley (CAN), 1:04:34

About USA Triathlon
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