MALE PARATRIATHLETE STEFAN DANIEL
Triathlon Magazine Canada Elite Paratriathlete of the Year Triathlon Canada Elite Triathlete of the Year
When he looks back, 2016 “was a pretty stressful year.” If Stefan Daniel thought that year was stressful, one would think that 2020 is going to be a pressure cooker. You don’t win a silver medal at the Paralympics and win four straight Paratriathlon world titles unless you can handle pressure, and Daniel seems to be taking care of that just fine.
Daniel remains focused on his own performances rather than worrying about his competition and keeps raising the bar for a para athlete. This year after returning from Lausanne, Daniel helped his University of Calgary Dinos cross-country team successfully defend their national title, even winning the Canadian Western Championships.
It should come as no surprise that Daniel is as good a runner as he is – he started swimming when he was eight, but also started running road races with his mother about the same time. In 2013, when triathlon was added to the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio, he jumped into triathlon.
Staying sharp through cross-country nationals is no easy feat – Daniel started his season with a win at the CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships in March, took the ITU World Paratriathlon Series wins in Yokohama, Japan and Montreal, then won the swim-cancelled Tokyo Test event, then rounded out the year where with his fourth world title in Lausanne.
Daniel will put his business studies from the University of Calgary on hold through the winter to prepare for Tokyo, a race which obviously suits him thanks to his wins over both George Peasgood and Martin Schulz, the two men likely to be his main competition in Tokyo.
After the successful cross-country title defense, Daniel gets to enjoy some time off, then will begin the long training build for Japan.
Daniel is aware that both his training and the pressure to perform at the Paralympics will start ramping up in December.
As with every Olympic or Paralympic year, all Canadian eyes will be on athletes like Daniel – world champions heading into Tokyo with an expectation of a medal. Nothing, of course, Stefan Daniel can’t handle – he’s done this before.