Canadian paralympic medal favourite to use Tokyo as launchpad into more able-bodied competition

BY Ella  Milloy

Stefan Daniel has continued to challenge himself since he first broke out onto the international stage in 2013 when he won a bronze at his first paratriathlon world championships as a sixteen-year-old. Since then, Daniel has gone on to become a World Champion in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and win a silver medal in Rio in 2016.

As a Paratriathlete and USport cross-country champion, Daniel has shown his ability to compete across numerous events.

Following the Tokyo Games, Daniel is looking forward to his next challenge.With years of experience in paratriathlon, Daniel is eager to make his mark in able-bodied and longer distance races. Having demonstrated his strength in his paratriathlon classification, Daniel believes competing in able-bodied events can help to inspire others.

“My main motivation is to help para-sport grow and legitimize and show that para-athletes are just as impressive as any other athlete,” Daniel said. “I think if I can compete against able-bodied athletes with a disadvantage, I think that would be really cool [....] I hope I can inspire some kids, and I think it’s something that will really keep me motivated and happy.”

Training for a triathlon means training for all three disciplines: swimming, biking, and running. Triathletes train and compete for different event distances. Daniel explained similarities in how he would prepare for able-bodied racing.

“When I do start potentially dabbling in some longer stuff or able-bodied racing, my training will probably change a bit,” Daniel said.

“Para-racing and the half-Ironman are both non-drafting, so the training wouldn’t be crazy different. It would just be more volume.”

Paratriathlete to triathlete