Dutchman Jetze Plat is para-royalty with two paratriathlon and two D paracycling Paralympic gold medals to his name in the H4 category. He's also won numerous world titles in both disciplines and is beginning to make a name for himself in wheelchair cycling, too. It's a helluva achievement for an athlete born with a stunted left leg who then had his right leg amputated in 2008. Let's meet him...
220: Jetze, you recently became the European paratriathlon champion in Madrid for the... how many times?
Jetze Plat: It was my seventh title. That said, it ended up a duathlon. It'd been really hot in the build-up but then there were huge storms that lowered the water quality so they cancelled the swim. I know there's been talk of poor water quality in the UK but it’s a big problem in Holland, too. I fear this could be a serious problem in the future.
On the positive, the Europeans acted as the first qualifier for the Paris Paralympics next year. The second qualifier is the World Triathlon event in Swansea [15 July].
220: How’s the rest of your season panning out?
JP: A few weeks after Swansea I’ll be handcycling at the UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow [start on 3 August]. It’s then the Paralympic Test Event in Paris [19 August], followed by the World Triathlon Championships in Spain [22-24 September]. I’ll then wheelchair race at the Chicago [8 October] and New York [5 November] marathons.
220: You’re a para-chameleon. How do you define yourself as an athlete?
This story is from the September 2023 edition of 220 Triathlon.
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This story is from the September 2023 edition of 220 Triathlon.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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