Ellis continues dominance with gold at World Triathlon Para Series

By Abi Curran

World number one Dave Ellis added another gold medal to his collection in the PTVI category of the World Triathlon Para Series in Swansea.

The visually impaired paratriathlete from Derbyshire, alongside guide Luke Pollard, took a whisker lead at transition ahead of compatriot Oscar Kelly, who bagged silver, but charged home for a consecutive Swansea Para Tri title.

The Tri Series was a chance for elite athletes to collect valuable points towards Paris 2024 qualification.

In the interests of athlete safety, the race was declared an aquathlon after adverse weather forced the bike discipline to be cancelled.

But it did not affect Ellis who was a true professional in the 750m swim and 5km run, timing his race perfectly with a negative split and a finishing time of 27:41.

He said: “It’s great to be back and defend the title, it was a lot shorter and I’m not sure that suits me but at least I got the right result at the end of the day and the sun came out for a bit at the end so that can’t be bad.

“It worked for us today and I'm really happy to get the win.

“I’ve managed to do well in all the home races, we had Leeds the year before last and Swansea two years in a row has suited me well, maybe no one else likes this wet weather.

“It’s nice to have competitions all around the world but if we keep British racing on the programme for the next few years I think it will be brilliant for British Triathlon and British athletes to have a big race at home.

“I’m getting there, I’d probably like to do a few more Tris to swim, bike and run together but we’re getting there."

The amateur Super Series and the Splash and Dash events saw seasoned triathlon revellers and complete aquathlon beginners take part before the national stars got underway.

Oscar Kelly was a close second with his second silver in a row in a time of 28:24.

He got one over on Frenchman Thibaut Rigaudeau for the first time and revelled in the occasion on home turf.

He said: “It’s great to do it in front of the home crowd and I think the aquathlon played into my strengths.

“It’s great to be on the podium with the boys and I’m looking forward to the next race.

“We’re still building, I didn’t have the start of the season that I wanted, I got knocked off a bit a few months ago so it’s good to be doing so well whilst we’re still building.”

2023 World Triathlon Para Series Swansea provided opportunities for people with disabilities to explore swim, bike, run on Saturday 15 July. You can find out more about opportunities to get involved with paratriathlon at https://www.britishtriathlon.org/

Sportsbeat 2023