USA Triathlon to open Resident Athlete Programme

USA Triathlon has announced it will open its first Para Triathlon Resident Athlete Programme at the US Olympic Training Centre in Colorado Springs starting in April 2018. The programme will be the fifth Paralympic resident sport programme to call the Colorado training site home, and will remain in operation through the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

The programme comes off a strong showing from Team USA at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, where the sport debuted. US athletes took four medals, including a podium sweep from Allysa Seely, Hailey Danz and Melissa Stockwell in the women’s then-PT2 category. Grace Norman captured the gold in the women’s then-PT4 class.

Eight athletes will be selected to train on the resident programme and will have full access to all Olympic Training Centre (OTC) amenities, including nutritional counselling from on-site certified nutritionists, sports science testing and sports psychology sessions. Athletes will have the option to live on the OTC campus or in privately owned residences off-complex; however, both options allow athletes to eat free of charge at the on-campus dining hall.

Athletes selected for the programme will also be eligible to receive financial support to compete in national and international competitions as they work toward qualification for the 2020 Paralympic Games.

“This resident programme has been many years in the making, and we are excited to officially launch the opportunity in 2018,” said Amanda Duke Boulet, USA Triathlon’s Para Triathlon Programme Senior Manager. “We feel that both the timing of the programme, as well as the staff we have assembled to support it, will only increase our level of performance in global competition as we move closer to Tokyo 2020.”

Those accepted into the programme must commit to a full calendar year of training and competition, and remain committed to the programme through the 2020 Paralympic Games. Training will cater to individuals, and will include both daily training sessions with the resident coach and group workouts as designated by the coaching staff. Individual coaching will consist of multiple swim, bike, run and strength training sessions each week.

Applications for the Para Triathlon Resident Athlete Programme are being accepted now until 1 December.

More information can be found on USA Triathlon’s website.