Paralympic tri squad aim to build on Rio success

In pictures: GB paratriathletes in training 

Even if they hadn’t produced the four medals in Rio, the GB squad achieved their goal just by sending the biggest tri team of any nation to Brazil; each and every member of the 13-strong squad (including two guides Nicole Walters and Hazel Smith) and the vast coaching team perfectly at home on the biggest sporting stage of them all. 

So how does it feel to have surpassed even their high expectations? We caught up with head coach Jonathan Riall after the competitions. 

“Well, it was unbelievable. [When Andy won] I was emotional beyond what I thought I might be actually. It’s been a long time in the making, a lot of hard work has gone in. A huge team has worked incredibly hard and to see Andy pull that off was just spectacular. 

“You can just see the state some of the guys are in crossing the finish line,” Riall continued, “they’ve given it everything. And that’s all we can ask for. It’s just nice to know that they can finish their race and look like they’ve had the best race they’ve ever had.” 

British Triathlon’s performance director Brendan Purcell knows how to produce a world-beating team, but while in Rio to help with the Paralympic team on a logistic level the show was very much being run by Riall. 

“I see myself as a bit of a backstop. They know I’ve got their back. It’s easy for me to say I’ve done my job [with the Olympic team] but this is just as important for me. 

“From a British perspective, awesome, four medals. But from a paratriathlon perspective, the best racing I’ve ever seen. It felt like everyone stepped up. I thought the men’s PT4 racing was outstanding. Look at these athletes, they’re just as good as the elites, if not better. They’re performance athletes, they might not be quite as quick but there’s a reason behind that. But that was outstanding, a sensational race. I loved every minute of that. 

“If you’re someone who likes sport and that hasn’t got you excited then you’re dead inside. Cause that was exceptional.” 

If only the multisporting world had had chance to see the action unfold. Not even the crowds lining the Copacabana course could view the full race as there was no live feed at the venue, just splits flashing up at the finish line. We can but hope that the Tokyo organisers deemed it worthy enough for a live broadcast come 2020.   

But back to the action that was witnessed by the fortuitous followers in Rio. Beaming with pride once again after the women’s events brought GB’s final medal tally to four, courtesy of Lauren Steadman’s and Alison Patrick’s silvers and Melissa Reid’s bronze, Riall summed up the squad’s achievements: 

“The guys just gave absolutely everything out there and in such tough conditions. The sport over the last two years has just progressed so so much, you can see the results, they’re going flat out at the end. The guys have raced hard and they’ve raced their best and the results are fare. They should be really really proud of themselves.