Australia’s Lauren Parker (PTWC) and Anu Francis (PTS2) extended their golden streaks with a third consecutive win at the latest World Triathlon Para Series event in Montreal, while Sally Pilbeam (PTS4) secured a bronze to round out a stellar day for Australia’s women.
Montreal marked the final stop of the World Triathlon Para Series ahead of October’s World Triathlon Championship Finals in Wollongong, where Parker and Francis will now be focused on sealing perfect seasons by capturing the world titles.
Four-time World Champion and Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medallist, Parker, who also claimed gold in Montreal in 2022 and 2023, said it was great to secure another gold medal and extend her winning streak.
“It’s a very fast course. I love swimming in the regatta centre here, and on the Formula 1 course on the bike, you just can’t get any better,” Parker said.
“I felt really good right from the start, I got a really good lead out on the bike and I just felt really strong out there. I had no idea how much of a lead I had so I just went as hard as I could.
“I’ve won here [Montreal] many times, so it’s great to bring home another win.”
Making her Montreal debut, Francis extended her winning streak and took confidence from the race, but says there’s still more to fine-tune before the World Championships on home soil.
“The run was a bit brutal, it got pretty hot towards the end, but it’s a pretty course out there… it’s definitely one of my favourite courses so far. This is my first time in Montreal and I’m really loving it,” Francis said.
“I’ve been working really hard on my swim. I only learnt to swim four and half years ago when I came into the sport and I started out getting out of the water [in races] a few minutes behind everyone else.
“But here I managed to stay with the front pack most of the way… and I was stoked to see most of the girls as I was getting out of the water. Heading out on the bike when there was only one person ahead of me, it’s something I haven’t experienced before, in such a big field.
“This has been a really good hit out ahead of the World Championships in Wollongong back in Australia,” she said.
Two-time World Champion, Pilbeam, made a strong return to the World Triathlon Para Series, claiming bronze in her first appearance since last year’s World Championships in Torremolinos.
Pilbeam and the Australian team have spent the past two weeks in Canada preparing for Montreal, including a successful tune-up at the World Triathlon Para Cup in Magog, Quebec, where she also secured bronze.
“It’s been nice to have a bit of time to prepare here in Canada, it’s a long way to travel, so to have the two races and have a bit more time here to prepare for this race is really great,” Pilbeam said.
“From here, I’ll now go back home, we’ll sit down with my coach (Steve Gleeson) and the team at WAIS, and work out the training plan and I really focus on getting in some good training so I can solidify the results come Wollongong.”
Seventeen-year-old Matthew Engesser delivered an impressive performance in the men’s PTS4 category, finishing just outside the medals in fourth place, while fellow Aussie David Bryant was also close to the podium with a strong fifth-place finish in the PTS5 – rounding out a strong showing from the Australian team in Montreal.
World Triathlon Para Series Montreal
1. Lauren Parker (PTWC)
1. Anu Francis (PTS2)
3. Sally Pilbeam (PTS4)
4. Matthew Engesser (PTS4)
5. David Bryant (PTS5)
For full results, click here.
