French Para triathlon legend Bourseaux returns to Pragelato for Winter World Championships

Romania’s Robert Tamirjan, Austria’s Martin Falch, Isak Brenden of Norway and French Para triathlon legend Yannick Borseaux were the four athletes to tackle the 2024 edition of the World Triathlon Winter Championships in Pragelato, Italy.

Saturday’s duathlon course consisted of a three-lap, 2km run course and three-lap, 3km ski, with the triathlon course one 2.5km run lap, two 3.2km loops on the mountain bikes and a three-lap 7.5km ski to the finish in the beautiful Pragelato Plan venue.

“I wanted to be here because this was where I had my very first Olympic experience in 2006 with the Nordic and cross-country skiing and biathlon,” said four-time Para Triathlon World Champion Borseaux after taking the tape in the men’s PTS5. “I have very special memories from here and of these tracks where I made my debut just 18 months after my bike crash. This was where I started my Paralympic career and this was my first ever Winter triathlon - I think I’ll be back!”

Robert Tamirjan added to his impressive collection of Winter and Summer multisport medals, likewise Martin Falch, who first competed at the Lausanne Para Championships in 2006 where he won gold. The impressive young Norwegian Isak Brenden finished with the silver medal at the end of another beautiful day for the sport in the Italian Alps.

“I did my first Winter Worlds in 2016 and I love it,” said 26-year-old Tamirjan, who finshed second at the Para Cup Alanya in 2021 and took part in the European Championships that year. “I love the combination of running, biking and cross country, it’s always a pleasure. I used to just do cycling, but I took up triathlon in 2015 so the swimming and running was all new. My first international summer Para Triathlon was in 2020 and i’m trying to improve. I was born with this spastic paresis on my right side which affects coordination and balance and a lot of things, but ive done sport all my life, ice hockey, cycling and now triathlon.”

“I came across triathlon when I heard about the Romanian national championships and I wanted to try it and see where I was with it, how i felt about it. I’d love to see more athletes here but it isn’t so well known at home, I just want others to know about this wonderful, challenging sport.”