USA Triathlon today honored world championship medalists Patricia Walsh and Andre Kajlich as its 2012 USA Paratriathlon Athletes of the Year. The accolades were selected by the USA Triathlon Age Group Committee.
USA Triathlon will announce its 2012 Age Group, Duathlon, Junior and Elite Athletes of the Year later this week.
An honorable mention Athlete of the Year selection a year ago, Walsh ended the 2012 season as the world’s No. 1-ranked para-triathlete in the women’s TRI-6 category. She won TRI-6 titles at the 2012 USA Para-triathlon National Championships and the PATCO Para-triathlon Championships before earning the bronze medal at the 2012 ITU Para-triathlon World Championships.
Also an honorable mention pick in 2011, Kajlich, is currently ranked No. 1 in the men’s TRI-1 category, according to ITU. He was a runner-up finisher at USA Para-triathlon Nationals and the ITU Para-triathlon World Championships and captured gold at the 2012 PATCO Para-triathlon Championships. Additionally, Kajlich won the hand-cycle category at the 2012 Ironman World Championship and Ironman 70.3 World Championship.
“On behalf of USA Triathlon, I’d like to congratulate our USA Para-triathlon Athletes of the Year, Patricia Walsh and Andre Kajlich, as well as all of our inspirational para-triathletes for an amazing 2012 season,” said Amanda Duke, USA Triathlon’s Paratriathlon Program Manager.
“We enjoyed outstanding performances in domestic and international competition and look forward to introducing more athletes to our sport as we build toward Paralympic inclusion in 2016.”
On the women’s side, 2012 national and world champions Patricia Collins (TRI-5) and Melissa Stockwell (TRI-2) claimed honorable mention accolades. Jamie Brown (TRI-5) and Matt Perkins (TRI-2), who both finished on the podium at the 2012 national and world championships, were chosen as the men’s honorable mention selections.
Historically a world leader in para-triathlon, the U.S. led the medal count by capturing 13 of a possible 36 medals at the 2012 ITU Para-triathlon World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand. Para-triathlon will make its Paralympic Games debut in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 2016.
Visit usatriathlon.org for more on the sport of para-triathlon.
USA Para-triathlon Women’s Athlete of the Year
Patricia Walsh (TRI-6, Austin, Texas)
(HM) Patricia Collins (TRI-5, Alexandria, Va.)
(HM) Melissa Stockwell (TRI-2, Chicago, Ill.)
USA Para-triathlon Men’s Athlete of the Year
Andre Kajlich (TRI-1, Seattle, Wash.)
(HM) Jamie Brown (TRI-5, Carlsbad, Calif.)
(HM) Matt Perkins (TRI-2, Boise Idaho)
(HM) – denotes honorable mention selection
Posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2013 at 12:03 pm under Triathlon News. You can subscribe to comments. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.
