Tokyo Paratriathlon Hopefuls to Compete Sunday at Americas Triathlon Para Championships Pleasant Prairie

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The United States’ top triathlon hopefuls for the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will compete Sunday in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, at the Americas Triathlon Para Championships. While not an auto-qualifier or Paralympic Trials, the race is a key selection event for the 2020 U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team.

Strong performances in Pleasant Prairie will be taken into account by USA Triathlon’s Games Athlete Selection Committee. Other factors such as performances at 2019, 2020, and 2021 World Triathlon and USA Triathlon-sanctioned events, ranking on the World Triathlon Paralympic Qualification list, head-to-head performances, and relevant and verified training data, will also be considered for Games selection. The complete U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team for Tokyo will be named Tuesday, July 6. For a complete explanation of U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team qualifying, click here. 

The race also serves as a World Triathlon Paralympic Games country qualifier, as athletes from North, South and Central America will have the chance to earn qualification points and athlete quota spots for their country for the Tokyo Games.

A free live broadcast of the Americas Triathlon Para Championships will be available at TriathlonLIVE.tv (no TriathlonLIVE subscription is required). The broadcast and live commentary, produced by Dare2tri Paratriathlon Club, will begin shortly before the race start at 9:30 a.m. CT.

The Pleasant Prairie Triathlon, hosted by Race Day Events, is renowned for hosting national level paratriathlon competition. The race has welcomed paratriathletes from beginners to elites since its inception, and it served as the host of the 2017 and 2018 USA Paratriathlon National Championships.

Held at Prairie Springs Park, the sprint-distance event will feature a 750-meter swim in Lake Andrea, a 20-kilometer bike through Pleasant Prairie and neighboring Kenosha, and a 5-kilometer run course finishing in the park.

In addition to the elite paratriathlon race, the Pleasant Prairie Triathlon will also include age-group sprint-distance (750m swim, 20k bike, 5k run) and Olympic-distance (1,500m swim, 40k bike, 10k run) triathlons, a sprint-distance Physically Challenged Open division, and a sprint-distance duathlon (2.3-mile run, 20k bike, 5k run). For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit pleasantprairietri.com.

The triathlon competitions at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 will take place Friday, Aug. 27, and Saturday, Aug. 28, at 5:30 p.m. ET in the U.S. (Saturday, Aug. 28, and Sunday, Aug. 29 at 6:30 a.m. in Tokyo). Paratriathlon medal events in Tokyo include PTWC men and women, PTVI men and women, PTS4 men, PTS2 women and PTS5 men and women. Athletes whose classifications are not included in the Tokyo Games are permitted to “class up” and race in a higher category against athletes with less severe impairments, provided they meet qualification and selection criteria.

U.S. Athletes to Watch

PTWC Men

• Howie Sanborn (Denver, Colo.), U.S. Army Veteran, 2-time World Triathlon Para Cup medalist, 2017 USA Paratriathlon National Champion
• Zach Young (Cape Girardeau, Mo.), 2014 and 2015 USA Paratriathlon National Champion 

PTWC Women

• Kendall Gretsch (Downers Grove, Ill.), 3-time World Paratriathlon Champion, undefeated in paratriathlon from June 2014-July 2018, 2-time Paralympic Winter Games gold medalist in Nordic skiing
  

PTVI Men

• Aaron Scheidies (Seattle, Wash.) guided by Ben Collins (Seattle, Wash.), 7-time World Paratriathlon Champion, 2016 U.S. Paralympian in road cycling
• Kyle Coon (Colorado Springs, Colo.), guided by 2004 U.S. Olympian Andy Potts (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama gold medalist
• Brad Snyder (Baltimore, Md.), guided by 2016 U.S. Olympian Greg Billington (San Francisco, Calif.), U.S. Navy Veteran, 5-time Paralympic swimming gold medalist

PTVI Women

• Elizabeth Baker (Signal Mountain, Tenn.), guided by Jillian Elliott (Gig Harbor, Wash.), 4th at 2016 Paralympic Games, 4th at 2019 World Paratriathlon Championships
• Amy Dixon (Encinitas, Calif.), guided by Kirsten Sass (McKenzie, Tenn.), 2019 National Champion, 2020 World Triathlon Para Series Devonport silver medalist

PTS2 Men

• Adam Popp (Arlington, Va.), U.S. Air Force Veteran, 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Leeds and Yokohama bronze medalist
  

PTS2 Women

• Allysa Seely (Glendale, Ariz.), 2016 Paralympic gold medalist, 3-time World Paratriathlon Champion, undefeated in 2019 World Triathlon Para Series, also 2016 U.S. Paralympian in track & field
• Hailey Danz (Colorado Springs, Colo.), 2016 Paralympic silver medalist, 6-time World Championships medalist
• Melissa Stockwell (Colorado Springs, Colo.), U.S. Army veteran, 2016 Paralympic bronze medalist, 3-time World Paratriathlon Champion

PTS4 Men

• Jamie Brown (Oceanside, Calif.), 2019 Tokyo World Triathlon Para Cup bronze medalist, 2-time World Championships bronze medalist
• Eric McElvenny (Pittsburgh, Pa.), U.S. Marine Corps Veteran, 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Leeds bronze medalist

PTS4 Women

• Kelly Elmlinger (San Antonio, Texas), U.S. Army Veteran, 2019 World Championships silver medalist, 2021 World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama and Leeds gold medalist
  

PTS5 Men

• Chris Hammer (Elkins, W.V.), 4th at 2016 Paralympic Games, 3-time World Championships bronze medalist, 2012 U.S. Paralympian in track & field

PTS5 Women

• Grace Norman (Jamestown, Ohio), 2016 Paralympic gold medalist in triathlon and bronze medalist in track & field (400m), 2-time World Paratriathlon Champion
  

For more information about U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team qualifying, or to request interviews with U.S. Paralympic triathlon hopefuls, contact USA Triathlon Marketing & Public Relations Senior Manager Caryn Maconi at caryn.maconi@usatriathlon.org or 443-534-5954.

About Tokyo United
USA Triathlon is promoting its elite athletes in the lead-up to, during and beyond the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games with its Tokyo United campaign. Tokyo United showcases the resilience, determination and teamwork shown by U.S. Olympians and Paralympians, and the communities surrounding them, on their path to the Games. Tokyo United also refers to the common experience shared by the USA Triathlon family over the last year — from amateur athletes, race directors, coaches and clubs whose racing plans were upended, to U.S. Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls whose dreams were deferred — and the many ways we lifted each other up in hopes of a more promising 2021.

The three-phased campaign begins with United to Tokyo, showcasing each U.S. Olympic and Paralympic triathlon hopeful’s journey from childhood to the biggest stage in sport — along with the family and support systems that helped them along the way. The second phase, United in Tokyo, brings together the entire multisport community and the global Olympic and Paralympic family to support Team USA at the pinnacle of competition, and to revel in the long-awaited Olympic and Paralympic moment. The final phase, United Beyond Tokyo, will celebrate the achievements of the 2020 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams before passing the torch to aspiring triathletes with Olympic and Paralympic dreams for the Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 Games.

About USA Triathlon
USA Triathlon is proud to serve as the National Governing Body for triathlon, as well as duathlon, aquathlon, aquabike, winter triathlon, off-road triathlon and paratriathlon in the United States. Founded in 1982, USA Triathlon sanctions more than 4,000 events and connects with more than 400,000 members each year, making it the largest multisport organization in the world. In addition to its work at the grassroots level with athletes, coaches, and race directors — as well as the USA Triathlon Foundation — USA Triathlon provides leadership and support to elite athletes competing at international events, including World Triathlon Championships, Pan American Games and the Olympic and Paralympic Games. USA Triathlon is a proud member of World Triathlon and the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC).