American para triathlete Alysa Seely (USA) has been dominating the PTS2 class for several years, and she proved that in Tokyo as well. In a hot and humid morning in Odaiba Bay, she wrote her name on the history books displaying a powerful run to cross the finish line first of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games PTS2 class to become the first woman to ever win two consecutive gold medals -Rio 2016 & Tokyo 2020- in Para triathlon. Behind her, her teammate Hailey Danz claimed silver and Italian Veronica Yoko Plebani finished in third place.
Only 8 women toed the start line in
the PTS2 class in Tokyo, for a sprint distance race consisting of a single 750m
lap of the Bay, followed by four 5km laps of a flat and technical bike course
towards Ariake Tennis Park then heading north over Fujimi Bridge and doubling
back towards Odaiba. The final run segment will see four laps of 1.25km,
finishing in front of the grandstands on Odaiba Beach.
And it was Yukako Hata (JPN) who
showed a magnificent display of swimming technique, for much delight of the
locals, to lead the swim and even making up over one minute to enter the first
transition ahead of some PTS4 men that had started one minute before.
Behind her, the American trio of
Melissa Stockwell, Hailey Danz and Alysa Seely were trying to push to put
themselves in a position to repeat the podium sweep for their country as they
did in Rio 2016, but the young Italian Veronica Yoko Plebani was up for the
challenge of trying to avoid it, along with British Fran Brown.
As soon as they were on their bikes,
Hata couldn’t keep up with their pace and the fourth of them just went all in,
taking turns in the lead to establish a gap with the fifth place of almost 2
minutes by the end f the 20km ride, but staying all four of them quite close
together, in less than 30 seconds.
With four places for only three
medals, it was clear that everything was going to be decided in the 5km final
run, and it was Danz who decided to strike first, establishing in the first
kilometer a significant gap, with Brown struggling to keep up with the three
leaders. Despite Danz not ever looking back, it was a matter of time that
Seeley decided to go for it and passed her teammate with less than one
kilometer to go, proving that she is the fastest runner on the field.
Seely crossed the first line in first
place, the second consecutive Paralympic gold of her career, to look back and
see her teammate and training partner Danz finishing in second, while Plebani
was all smiles to claim the bronze medal.
“I just can’t believe what happened
this morning, it is just incredible”, said Seely. “My real goal was to create
as much of a gap on the bike course (as possible) because I know that is my
strength. I came off with a gap (after the bike) that I felt was going to be
enough, but I guess I just didn’t have the run legs today.”, said her teammate
Danz.
Brown, still recovering from a
partial bowel removal that has left her with hydration and nutrition issues
lately, finished in fourth place, while Melissa Stockell, the USA flagbearer
and bronze medallist in Rio 2016, closed the top five. Behind her, Hata, Rakel
Mateo Uriarte (ESP) and Veronika Gabitova (RPC), who made her debut at the Games
after missing Rio 2016 due to the ban on Russia.
This medal event saw the withdraw of
Liisa Lilja from Finland just 10 days before the Games started, due to a road
bike accident, which adds to the one suffered by French Cecile Saboreau at the
end of July. This has left the field with only 8 athletes.
Results: PTS2 Women
1.Allysa Seely USA 01:14:03
2.Hailey Danz USA 01:14:58
3.Veronica Yoko Plebani ITA 01:15:55
4.Fran Brown GBR 01:19:42
5.Melissa Stockwell USA 01:21:25
ABOUT WORLD TRIATHLON
World Triathlon is the international
governing body for the Olympic and Paralympic sport of triathlon and all
related multisport disciplines around the world, including duathlon, aquathlon,
cross triathlon and winter triathlon. Triathlon made its Olympic debut in Sydney
2000, with a third medal event, the Mixed Team Relay, added to the programme at
Tokyo 2020, while para triathlon was first added to the Paralympic programme at
Rio 2016. World Triathlon is proudly committed to the development of the sport
worldwide, with inclusion, equality, sustainability and transparency at our
core as we seek to help triathletes at all levels of the sport to be
extraordinary.
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