Paris – The best Brazilian ranked in the world paratriathlon rankings, Jessica Messali did not complete the race at the Paralympic Games in Paris. The 36-year-old triathlete was the first Brazilian to compete this Monday (2), in the sport that passes through some of the main tourist attractions of the French capital.
Third place in the PTWC rankings, for wheelchair users it had problems in the last stretch. The course included a 750-meter swim in the Seine, as well as 20 km of cycling and 5 km of running on the route that crosses the Champs-Élysées avenue and ends at the Alexandre III bridge.
The Brazilian completed the swim in 16’54, and emerged from the waters of the Seine in fifth place. She moved into second place after completing the first 5 kilometers of cycling. In this test, athletes use equipment pulled by hand and lie down. Australian Lauren Parker, silver at Tokyo-2020, led the event from start to finish.
Jéssica was overtaken halfway through the cycling section by American Kendall Gretsch. The Tokyo-2020 gold medalist opened a gap of 56 seconds in the fourth and final lap.
The Brazilian passed the final stretch 3’33 behind the Australian leader. The race is held on equipment with large wheels, where athletes accelerate in a forward leaning position.
After spending most of the time in the top-3, Jéssica did not finish the race. We will update with more information shortly.
This is the second time that the native of São Paulo, originally from Jaboticabal, has competed in the Paralympics. At Tokyo-2020, she finished fourth after a series of upsets. Jéssica was a regular presence on the podium at major competitions, but she suffered a sauna accident a few days before the Games. The triathlete suffered burns and had to amputate seven fingers, in addition to undergoing 11 surgeries to remove dead skin. Even so, she was one position away from the podium.
Brazil will have two more representatives in triathlon this Monday. Letícia Freitas competes at 7:05 in the PTVI race, for the blind. Ronan Cordeiro takes action at 7:20 Brasilia time, in the PTS5, for triathletes with physical-motor disabilities and cerebral palsy.
All 11 paratriathlon events were rescheduled for this Monday because the Seine was not suitable for swimming. The events were originally scheduled for Sunday (1).
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Source: Terra
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