Canada's Stefan Daniel wins sixth career world para triathlon title

Stefan Daniel competes in the men's Para Triathlon PTS5 during the Paralympic Games in Paris, France, on Sept. 2, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Canadian Paralympic Committee-Dave Holland

Canada’s Stefan Daniel won his sixth career world triathlon para championship title Friday, calling his victory "redemption" after a heartbreaking crash at the Paris Paralympics.

The 27-year-old from Calgary completed the sprint-distance test in 59 minutes 26 seconds to win the men’s standing classification.

Australia’s Jack Howell was second in 1:00:14 and Portugal’s Filipe Marques was third in 1:00:43.

Daniel's win comes six weeks after he crashed while leading at the Paris Games. He ran into a barricade while making the final hairpin turn during the cycling portion of the race.

“Today, I just felt a sense of relief when I crossed the finish line. This will make the off-season so much sweeter,” Daniel said. “It was redemption.”

Daniel has a silver medal from the 2016 Rio Paralympics and a bronze from the 2021 Games in Tokyo to go with his six world titles.

“The last month was really difficult for me, but today’s performance, I was able to remind myself that I’m still a good athlete and I was just so proud that I was able to rebound and have a good one,” Daniel said.

Winnipeg’s Leanne Taylor, who won a bronze medal in Paris, was fourth in the women’s wheelchair classification.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Oct. 18, 2024.