Cashmore and Steadman make para triathlon podium in Swansea

By Abi Curran

Britain's Claire Cashmore and Lauren Steadman claimed silver and bronze in the PTS5 aquathlon at Swansea’s World Triathlon Para Series as American Grace Norman took gold.

Cashmore, Norman, and Steadman created a huge lead in the swim and stormed out of the water to confirm a similar podium to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

Norman created a sizable distance between her and the rest on the run as the Tokyo silver medallist got another one over on her rivals and friends from across the pond.

It was the first time Cashmore has faced her biggest competitors this year and the race was a treat for any spectator looking forward to a para triathlon battle at Paris 2024.

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

Cashmore said: “I’m really happy with that, it’s the first time I’ve ever done an aquathlon, it was exciting, but Grace had a phenomenal race out there.

“It was quite close between Lauren and myself, so I was really happy with that too.

“The crowd were brilliant considering weather was pretty awful, Swansea turned up, I’m just so happy the race could go ahead, it’s been a bit touch and go.

“You can’t beat racing on home soil, for my family to be here is really special.

“It’s the first time I’ve raced against Grace and Lauren this year so it’s great to see where I am against them, there’s lots of work to be done so it’s back to the drawing board and see what comes for the rest of the season.”

The World Series was a chance for elite athletes to collect valuable points towards Paralympic qualification.

Fellow Brit and Paralympic champion Lauren Steadman returned to racing for the first time after a season in para-Nordic skiing with a time of 32:01.

She said: “The biggest thing is to get my points up, being ranked 15th in the world is a pretty scary place to be.

“I’m hoping these points push me into the top eight so I can go to the test event this year and to the World Champs so I’m really happy to be back and still be up there after having that time off.

“I have a really strong friendship with Grace, and I grew up with Claire so to be able to race alongside her still is great.

“I’m so proud of all the girls who are pushing the sport on and showing just how fierce the PTS5 category is – we’re not stopping or slowing down; we’re continuing to push the standard, so I guess look out for Paris.”

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/