Canada’s Stefan Daniel wins sixth career world para triathlon title

TORREMOLINOS — Canada’s Stefan Daniel won his sixth career world triathlon para championship title Friday, calling his victory “redemption” after a heartbreaking crash at the Paris Paralympics.

The 27-year-old from Calgary completed the sprint-distance test in 59 minutes 26 seconds to win the men’s standing classification.

Australia’s Jack Howell was second in 1:00:14 and Portugal’s Filipe Marques was third in 1:00:43.

Daniel’s win comes six weeks after he crashed while leading at the Paris Games. He ran into a barricade while making the final hairpin turn during the cycling portion of the race.

“Today I just felt a sense of relief when I crossed the finish line. This will make the off-season so much sweeter,” Daniel said. “It was redemption.”

Daniel has a silver medal from the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze from the 2021 Games in Tokyo to go with his six world titles.

“The last month was really difficult for me, but today’s performance I was able to remind myself that I’m still a good athlete, and I was just so proud that I was able to rebound and have a good one,” Daniel said.

Winnipeg’s Leanne Taylor, who won a bronze medal in Paris, was fourth in the women’s wheelchair classification.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 18, 2024.