Gold rush for paratriathletes at Eton Dorney

Commonwealth champions Joe Townsend and Jade Jones, as well as Paralympic champion Andy Lewis, led the charge on home soil as British para-triathletes claimed nine gold medals at Eton Dorney.

This was the first time that the English venue had hosted an ITU World Cup event and on a boiling hot Bank Holiday Monday, it was the home competitors who came to the boil.

Townsend – who topped the podium in the Gold Coast earlier this year – won the PTWC race and could not contain his delight.

“The sport just keeps moving on; you can see the fields are stacked and it’s close, hard racing. With a lot of guys coming across from different sports to paratriathlon, it means I’ve got to keep on pushing the boundaries and training hard,” he said.

“To have my family here and see me come across the finish line, and for me to see smiles on their faces too is phenomenal.”

Indeed Lewis – who claimed gold in Rio two years ago – admitted that the home support had made all the difference as he claimed victory in the PTS2 men’s event.

“My little boy and my little girl are here, and hearing them has really helped me, because I found that tough today, and probably one of the toughest races I’ve done ever, just because I’ve not raced for a long time.”

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Meanwhile Jones – like Townsend competing in the PTWC category – held off her compatriot Lizzie Tench to top the podium.

There were also wins for Ryan Taylor in the PTS3 event, Hannah Moore and Steve Crowley in the PTS4, Lauren Steadman at PTS5 and Alison Patrick and Dave Ellis at PTVI.

Patrick won gold with Hannah Drewitt in the visually impaired event and could not contain her delight.

Patrick said: “I haven’t raced since the European’s last year so it’s good to back out there. Me and Hannah have only worked together this week, but she did really well.”

And finally there was a silver for George Peasgood behind German triathlon star Martin Schulz.