After a successful Paralympic Games debut in Rio de Janeiro last month, USA Paratriathlon has announced the eight paratriathletes who earned a spot on the 2016-17 USA Paratriathlon Development Team with sights set on Tokyo 2020. A program of USA Triathlon, USA Paratriathlon supports the growing discipline of paratriathlon from the grassroots level to the world’s stage, including ITU World Championships and the Paralympic Games.
Through the Development Team Program, USA Paratriathlon will identify and develop athletes who show the greatest potential to rise up the athlete development pipeline toward the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. The program is intended to serve as the first step in the development pathway. The eight individuals who earned a spot on the 2016-17 squad are:
- Mary Kate Callahan (PT1, La Grange, Illinois)
- Geoffrey Kennedy (PT1, Rio Grande, Puerto Rico)
- Brian Norberg (PT2, Chicago, Illinois
- Andrea Walton (PT3, Chicago, Illinois)
- Omar Bermejo (PT3, Casper, Wyoming)
- Ruth Ann Reeves (PT4, Hattiesburg, Mississippi)
- Joel Rosinbum (PT4, Austin, Texas)
- Ashley Eisenmenger (PT5, Tolono, Illinois)
These eight athletes all won their respective sport classes at the 2016 USA Paratriathlon National Championships on 14 August in Santa Cruz, California, to confirm their spot on the team. The USA Paratriathlon Development Team Program will provide these individuals with camp opportunities and apparel through the end of the 2016 season and in 2017 leading up to the USA Paratriathlon National Championships, which will be announced soon.
“With Team USA’s success at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games last month, we are excited to keep our success going with this talented group of athletes who have already proven themselves to be contenders for the US Paralympic Triathlon Team in 2020,” said Amanda Duke Boulet, USA Paratriathlon Program Manager. “We’re thrilled to offer resources to help these athletes hone their skills as we look to the next four years and beyond.”
The USA Paratriathlon Development Team complements the USA Paratriathlon National Team Program, which recognizes top-level performances at the international level, including ITU World Paratriathlon Events.
