#Triathlon Aussie paratriathletes shine in Devonport PWC

Five-time World Champion Bill Chaffey will go into April’s Commonwealth Games in the best shape of his life after using all his experience to master today’s windswept conditions in the inaugural ITU Paratriathlon World Cup in Devonport. The 42-year-old Gold Coaster made a spectacular return to elite racing for the first time since last May to defeat fellow Rio Paralympian Nic Beveridge (AUS), Germany’s Benjamin Lenatz, and Australian pair, former wheelchair basketballer Scott Crowley and Australian para cycling star Alex Welsh. And it came on a day which also saw reigning 26-year-old PTWC world champion Emily Tapp (AUS) dig deeper than she has ever done before, both mentally as well as physically to take out the women’s ITU World Cup title ahead of 29-year-old former Ironman triathlete Lauren Parker (AUS) in only her second major event, Japanese legend Wakato Tsuchida and the gritty Gold Coaster Sara Tait (AUS). All competitors in the various paratriathlon categories, featuring the cream of Australia’s best and top flight internationals from Japan, Italy, Hong Kong, Canada and Germany showed amazing skill sets to handle the at times brutal head winds that circled through the Mersey Bluff in and around the Devonport Surf Club precinct. For the wheelchair athletes, today’s results come in the countdown to the official announcement next Sunday of the Australian paratriathlete team for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games and for Chaffey and Tapp it has been a long time coming following their automatic nominations last April. Chaffey has been the poster boy for Australia’s glowing Paralympic program which has seen him lead the team onto the world stage as one of the stand-out nations in world triathlon. “I’m absolutely over the moon with that performance – to come back to Devonport and chalk up a win in probably some of the toughest conditions I’ve raced in is really pleasing,” said Chaffey. “That wind was hard to handle even though we are close to the ground on our cycles – it’s still tough going. “But I couldn’t be happier with my fitness – I’m in the best shape of my life and really looking forward to the Games in April.” Tapp came into today’s race feeling a little under the weather and said her support team really played a major hand in getting her through. “It hasn’t been the best of week’s health wise but it doesn’t matter come race day, it’s race day, “said Tapp, who qualified for... Triathlon.org News Feed http://ift.tt/2Hqy03F