Just a few weeks after Tom Cruise wrapped up the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, our attention now turns back to the Paralympics in the French capital.

The Paratriathlon competitions will take place over two days, 1 and 2 September, from 28 August to 8 September 2024. This will be the third Paralympic Games to focus on paratriathlon, and this time there will be plenty of medals to be won, with 11 of the 12 World Triathlon Para categories on the programme.

The men’s PTVI (visually impaired) class has consistently been one of the strongest in international racing in recent years, with the differences between a large proportion of athletes typically being small in the biggest races.

I recently spoke to the favourites for gold medal in Paris, Dave Ellis and guide Luke Pollard. But if they are the experienced pros, then ParalympicsGB also has the youth on its side, courtesy of Oscar Kelly and his guide Charlie HardingAt just 23 and 21 years old respectively, they are talents for the present and the future.

I recently took the opportunity to chat with both of them on their ‘fit-out day’ and while they certainly still have experience to gain, the rapidly improving pair are putting no limits on what they could achieve.

Calm under pressure

They finished the ranking phase of the Paralympic Triathlon qualification comfortably within the required top 9. Although formal selection only took place recently, in reality they had nothing to worry about, as Oscar explained:

“We probably knew for some time that we had qualified – we were very confident that our consistency would get us to qualify. It’s the first Games for us, but we’ve really focused on racing this year, not focusing on the race until the day before; just relax and then it’s a lot more fun. When we go to more Games in the future – and we will – we’ll have experience behind us.”

Charlie reiterated this professional but calm approach, ensuring that they were ready to perform at their best when they arrived:

“We both think we should treat it like any other race – you don’t need to do anything special at this point, just carry on as you have been. We’re really going to enjoy this experience and try not to get too excited beforehand. After the race we’ll have a bit of time in Paris to really soak up the atmosphere.”

A big leap in performance

Twenty-four months ago, Kelly and Harding were among the favourites to fight for medals at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham until a puncture hampered their race and they ultimately finished in fifth place.

When we spoke to Oscar last year, he stressed that the bike leg was their relative weakness. How would he compare the 2022 and 2024 duo another year later?

“I don’t want to exaggerate and say it’s light years between them, but it was definitely a step. We took a step forward just before the Commonwealth Games and in some places we made up a lot of time without getting fitter. We’ve reinforced those progress – we knew our bike was far from the strongest – but we’ve increased the power, which was a limiting factor. Then you add bikes and technology to try and be as good as you can.”

With fitness and performance comes self-confidence. Charlie reflects this:

“It’s such a difference. I don’t think we would have been anywhere near the quality of athletes competing in Paris two years ago. But now, with the fitness we have, I think we’ll hopefully be up there with the best.”

Given the depth I mentioned in the introduction, it is not easy to predict possible outcomes, so Kelly and Harding have different goals and can draw on their previous experience in their Paralympic debut. Oscar explained:

“There are definitely other strong categories, but the racing in the Men’s VI category can definitely be very interesting because the athletes are so close together and exciting. I think four or five athletes will come through within less than a couple of minutes of each other, which will be exciting to watch, but that means you definitely can’t guarantee where you’ll finish. Even on your best day, you could end up somewhere on the podium or further back in the field. The key is to work on consistency, on how good you can be every time, every time.

“The Commonwealth Games weren’t the same but the environment was definitely bigger than what we’re used to at the World Triathlon races. Hopefully this experience will help us calm down a bit.”

Lessons from Paris 2023

Last year’s World Triathlon Para Cup Paris was the test event for this year. That event was held in a duathlon format – the British duo finished fourth. What did you take away from it?

“We decided not to take part in the swim exploration – we simply didn’t want to risk getting sick and so didn’t have the opportunity to do so during the swim. However, we did develop an understanding of the bike and run courses,” explains Oscar.

“It was a really close race because it was a duathlon, as everyone was a little less spread out after the first run than they were on the swim. It was good to understand the course when it gets a little more crowded, where you can take time off people, etc. Charlie and I had never done a duathlon together before – I’d done a few with other guides – but it was by far the best duathlon performance I’ve ever put in.”

Charlie highlighted some technical aspects – both of the course and the particular challenges that can impact paratriathlon equipment:

“We learned a lot. There are cobblestones and then about 40 corners that are really technically demanding. In addition, part of the race was also on cobblestones, so it was very different to normal races. Since we have this experience with the technical details, we can recreate it in training and are therefore well prepared.

“It also showed that mechanical preparation is really crucial, especially with customized bikes that you can’t buy off the shelf. We ourselves didn’t have any problems, but several other athletes did. The reliability of the bike is really important. We want a fast bike, but also a reliable one. That was a big focus for us.”

Praise for the underrated guide role

Oscar also praised his guide Charlie highly – but also the athletes who take on this role – usually without much fanfare:

“We’ve talked about this before, but the quality of the guides is under-appreciated – they’re not just ‘average guys’. They not only have to keep up, but also push the boundaries of what we can do.

“They also put a lot of pressure on themselves because if something goes wrong, it’s not just their race and they feel a lot of responsibility towards us athletes. That can be pretty tough and isn’t usually seen. The mental strength to withstand that pressure, to work under it and to perform – it’s almost doubled, so I think they’re very underrated.”

“Compete, don’t participate” is the International Paralympic Committee’s (IPC) #NotPlayingGames campaign surrounding the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, and this approach certainly suits Kelly, for whom Paris is not a one-off experience:

I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but I don’t think I would be happy if we only went to one game.

“For me, success is not when you can ride well once, but when you can repeat it. And I would like to achieve three or four victories. We will also see how Charlie develops as an individual athlete and whether there are any rule changes regarding his performance in individual races, how he can shape his career after his guiding career. Since he is a phenomenal athlete, he is responsible for that himself.