Kamylle Frenette earns her first World Triathlon Series victory on home soil

MONTREAL – Kamylle Frenette of Dieppe, N.B. collected her first career victory on the World Triathlon Series Para circuit on Saturday to top a triple medal Canadian performance.

Leanne Taylor of Winnipeg was second in the women’s wheelchair race and Stefan Daniel of Calgary also notched silver in the men’s standing race.

It was the second straight weekend the three Canadians reached the podium on the circuit. Last week in Swansea, Wales, Taylor posted her first career victory and Daniel took bronze.

All the competitors did a 750-metre swim, 20 kilometre cycle, and a five kilometre run.

In the women’s PTS5, held during the strongest rainfall of the day, Frenette clocked one hour, seven minutes and 59 seconds. Gwladys Lemoussu of France was second in 1:09.43 and Alisa Kolpakchy of Ukraine third in 1:10.42.

Steady rain and high winds made for some treacherous conditions for the competitors.

‘’It’s really fun to compete at home in front of friends and family and I really wanted to show what I was capable of,’’ said Frenette, who turns 28 next week. ‘’The swim was pretty choppy and there were a couple of crashes in the bike race. So I wanted to maintain speed but at the same time stay safe.’’

Frenette, fourth at the Tokyo Paralympics, is ranked fourth in the world heading into Paris 2024.

‘’I’m on the right track and I’m where I want to be,’’ she said. ‘’We just finished a big training block and I feel like the plan is being followed and it’s lining up well. A victory like this definitely brings a lot of confidence.’’

Taylor was first after the swim and cycle in the women’s WCH1 but was just edged by Kendall Gretsch of the U.S., first in 1:05.34. Taylor, looking for her first career Paralympic Games appearance, clocked 1:05.47 and Jessica Ferreira of Brazil was third in 1:06.54.

‘’It’s exciting to get these kinds of results going into the Paralympic Games,’’ said Taylor, 32, ranked third in the world. ‘’This is what we ambitiously hoped for and it’s wild to see that peak is actually possible. So no limits and I’m ready to see what I can do in Paris.”

Asked about her soaring success this season, she said:

‘’I just love to do the sport. It was pure joy for me today on the race course.’’

In the men’s PTS5, Chris Hammer of the U.S. won the gold in 56:50, Daniel clocked 57.48, and Jairo Luiz Lopez of Spain was third in 58.23. Chris Williamson of Ireland was the fastest swimmer and cyclist but dropped to fifth overall.

Daniel, a five-time world champion, made a spectacular comeback to get the silver but his face was etched with disappointment as he crossed the finish line.

He was fourth after the swim and bike portions then roared to the medal finish on the run.

‘’Nothing spectacular today,’’ said Daniel, 27, with the 45^th podium of his brilliant career in 57 starts and currently ranked number-one in the world.

‘’I thought my swim was better but we were very close together, so it turned out to be a bad first split. But I finished with a good positive set in the run.’’

Daniel will be headed to his third Paralympics in Paris. He won silver in 2016 and bronze in 2021.

Saturday’s competition was the last qualifying event for the Games and the top-nine in each category will qualify. The Canadian entries will be nominated next month.

The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will begin with the Opening Ceremony on August 28 and continue through September 8, with coverage of the Games on CBC and CBC Sports and Radio-Canada.