Triathlete Jessica Tuomela and guide Emma Skaug, both of Victoria, continued their relentless quest toward the 2024 Paris Paralympics by winning the bronze medal Saturday in women’s-para at the World Triathlon Championship Series in Yokohama, Japan. The pair completed the 750-metre swim, 20K bike and 5K run in one hour, 10 minutes and 14 seconds behind the U.S. and Spain.
It follows up the pair’s bronze medal last summer in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
“We are really happy with where we are at. We had a solid block of training coming into this race, and we’re really excited to see where we can go from here,” the Islanders said in a statement.
“We executed our race plan exactly as we wanted today. It’s a technical and punchy course and we had an incredible time racing our way through it.”
Tuomela, 39, continues her amazing comeback after winning silver in swimming at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics. The native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., also swam in the 2000 Sydney, 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Paralympics. Tuomela, blinded at age three by retinoblastoma, came out of retirement and returned as a triathlete in 2017 and relocated to the national training centre in Victoria and placed fifth in the Tokyo Paralympics. With Skaug guiding, the way seems paved to Paris.
Tyler Mislawchuk, of Manitoba, meanwhile placed 15th in the men’s able-bodied race as the qualification window for the 2024 Olympics has opened.
“The name of the game was to try to get a top-12 for an Olympic qualification. I lost in the sprint for 12th so that stings a bit,” said the 28-year-old, who trains at the national centre in Victoria. “I wanted one of the Olympic qualifications but the best thing about triathlon is you race a bunch of races in a year so it is not over for me yet.”
Mislawchuk was across in 1:43:27 over the 1.5K swim in a cold Yokohama Harbour and 40K bike and 10K run through rainy and windswept conditions. Hayden Wilde of New Zealand was first in 1:42:13, Matthew Hauser of Australia second and Vasco Vilaca of Portugal third.
