Victoria-based triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk continued his breakout season by taking bronze on Saturday in Montreal to become the first Canadian male to medal in the 10-year history of the ITU World Series.
That added to his two World Cup race victories this season in Mooloolaba, Australia, and Huatulco, Mexico. The World Series circuit is a step up from the World Cup, and Mislawchuk is proving he belongs in both as he looks ahead to the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Three Canadian women have won World Series medals 鈥� Victoria-based Joanna Brown of Carp, Ont., took bronze this year in Bermuda, Olympian Kirsten Sweetland of Victoria won bronze in 2014 in Hamburg, Germany, while Paula Findlay of Edmonton won five World Series races in a torrid stretch in 2010 and 2011.
Manitoba-native Mislawchuk has bloomed since arriving at the National Triathlon Centre in Victoria in 2015, and qualifying for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
鈥淚鈥檝e been to 27 countries now and Victoria is my favourite place to train in the world,鈥� Mislawchuk said this season. 鈥淎 lot of the credit goes to Jono Hall [the Canadian team head coach from Victoria]. There is such great set-up and support here with PISE and doctors, physios and chiros. I don鈥檛 mind running or biking in the Victoria rain in winter. I will run and bike through anything, except snow. I鈥檓 a proud born and bred Manitoban, but this feels like home now.鈥�
Mislawchuk was across in 53 minutes and 53 seconds Saturday behind winner Jelle Geens of Belgium (53:49) and silver-medallist Mario Mola of Spain (53:50). Alexis Lepage of Gatineau, Que., was 36th in 56:39, Matt Sharpe of Victoria finished 37th in 56:40 and Mike Lori of Tecumseh, Ont., came 44th in 57:54.
鈥淚 told Jono [Hall] after the race I couldn鈥檛 have done this without him,鈥� said Mislawchuk.
鈥淗e鈥檚 so pivotal to all of this. I am absolutely over the moon. I鈥檓 going to have a beer tonight to celebrate.鈥�
Mislawchuk thought he might have something even more to celebrate with the suds before accepting bronze: 鈥淚 knew I was there running with the best in the world. What鈥檚 pretty crazy is, at the 2.5-kilometre mark, I was feeling great and thought I had the race won.鈥�
Brown was 12th in the women鈥檚 race, which was won by Katie Zaferes of the U.S. in 58:15. 鈥淢y run legs were nowhere to be found once I got out on the simmering pavement. I鈥檒l find them for Hamburg [the next World Series race],鈥� Brown said in a statement.
The top development triathletes from around the world also raced Saturday in Montreal, with Charles Paquet of Port Cartier, Que., winning his first CAMTRI men鈥檚 gold while Aiden Longcroft-Harris of Victoria captured his second bronze medal of his season. Karol Ann Roy, of Laval, Que., was fourth and Colette Reimer of Victoria fifth in 1:02:04 in the women鈥檚 development CAMTRI race.
