Triathlon and much more today with Dani Molina
Felipe Gutiérrez interviews Dani Molina for the decision to remove his paratriathlon category from the Rio Paralympic Games
A few days ago I had a conversation with Dani Molina about the world of Paralympic triathlon and the truth is that I was quite upset with the new regulations on categories and other problems of paratriathlon.
Days later we talked long and hard about the subject and the rest of the triathletes knew what is really happening at the moment.
We have to remember that Dani is currently double runner-up in the triathlon world and aquathlon world champion.
TN- Dani you have been in the triathlon world for a few years now
DM- 3 years I have been in the world of Paralympic triathlon and all my "second life" in the Paralympic world in different sports, swimming, skiing, triathlon ...
TN- Your experience should be a guarantee to hear your opinions
DM- The sport of the disabled is not fair in itself, there are many disabilities and few categories. To be fair, there should be many more categories, but lose competitiveness.
Starting from this, of the three sports that I have practiced at a certain high level, I believe that what is being lived within the paratriathlon is not normal.
I think that what the International Triathlon Federation (ITU) has had to do to make the triathlon paralympic in Rio 2016 has not been good for a certain number of athletes, who with the new classification system are clearly at a disadvantage compared to others.
TN- I notice you a little unhappy
DM- I want to make clear from the beginning, that this is a personal opinion, only my opinion of what is happening within the Paralympic triathlon, is not a tantrum of a particular athlete for not being able to go to a games or to be disadvantaged in one or another category.
TN- But this for the profane is very difficult to understand
DM- I will try to explain how the categories were and how they are now, in a simple way so that everyone understands:
In 2012 when I started, there were 6 categories:
TRI 1. Wheelchair users. Paraplegics, tetraplegics, polio, amputation of both legs and other disabilities that prevent the safe use of a conventional bicycle. You must use a “handcycle” on the cycling circuit and a “whelchair” on the running segment.
TRI 2. Severe lower extremity disability including above knee amputation. The athlete must ride a bicycle and run with a prosthesis that includes a knee or similar, or run using crutches.
TRI 3. The others. Includes athletes with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, double leg amputation, or multiple limb paralysis. They should ride a bicycle or tricycle and run. They will be able to wear prosthetics and braces.
TRI 4. Impediment in arms. Including paralysis, amputation above and below the elbow and impairment in both upper extremities. They must use a bicycle. Athletes may use prosthetics, harnesses or "sling" on the bike or while running.
TRI 5. Minor leg impairment. Including below-knee amputation. The athlete rides a bike and runs with a prosthesis.
TRI 6A (IBSA / IPC B1) - Visual Disability: Includes athletes who are totally blind. Since they do not perceive light in any of the eyes until they perceive light, but are unable to recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction. A same-sex guide is mandatory throughout the race.
TRI 6B (IBSA / IPC B2 and B3) - Visual Disability: Athletes with partial visual impairment. It includes a visual acuity inferior to 6 / 60 or visual field inferior to 20 degrees with the best corrective vision. A guide of the same gender is mandatory throughout the race ...
TN- Don't you think it was good or is it that the changes hurt someone?
DM- With the aim of paratriathlon entering Rio 2016, the International Paralympic Committee forced ITU to reduce the number of categories.
Among several doctors, physios and "experts" in the paratriathlon, they created a new classification system, which in their opinion they thought was more fair than the one that had until then, as I said before, the previous one was not fair at all, but inside the bad ...
TN- So what has changed, how are the new categories, which I see they do not like at all
DM- Currently it has been as follows:
PT1 - Wheelchair users. Includes athletes with comparable activity limitation and deficiency: muscular strength, limb deficiency, hypertonia, ataxia, athetosis that impede the ability to safely ride a conventional bicycle and run. Through the qualification process, athletes must have a score of up to 640,0 points. Athletes must use a hand bike on the cycling course and an athletic wheelchair on the running segment.
PT2 - Includes athletes with comparable limitation in activity and deficiency: limb deficiency, hypertonia, ataxia and / or athetosis, deficit in muscle strength or range of motion, in which through the classification process the athlete obtains a score of up to 454,9 points. In the cycling and Carrera segments, amputee athletes can use prostheses or other approved technical aids.
PT3 - Includes athletes with comparable limitation in activity and deficiency: limb deficiency, hypertonia, ataxia and / or athetosis, deficit in muscle strength or range of motion, in which through the classification process the athlete obtains a score of 455 to 494,9 points. In the cycling and Carrera segments, athletes can use prostheses or other approved technical aids.
PT4 - Includes athletes with comparable limitation in activity and deficiency: limb deficiency, hypertonia, ataxia and / or athetosis, deficit in muscle strength or range of motion, in which through the classification process the athlete obtains a score of 495,0 to 557 points included. In the cycling and running segments, athletes can use prostheses or other approved technical aids.
PT5 - Total or partial visual impairment (Sub-classes defined by IBSA / IPC B1, B2 and B3): Includes athletes who are totally blind, from no perception of light in one of the eyes, to some perception of light but no can recognize the shape of a hand at any distance or in any direction (B1) and athletes with visual impairment with visual acuity of less than 6/60 of vision or visual field of less than 20 degrees with best corrected vision (B2 -B3). A guide is mandatory throughout the race. You must ride a tandem during the bike segment.
TN- Does that mean that someone is injured or better said that someone benefits?
DM- In summary, a classification that clearly benefits those affected by the arm, in the categories Pt2, Pt3 and Pt4, in the Pt1 category, clearly depending on the height of the lesion, whether or not it can move on its own or need some help in the transitions, etc, and in Pt 5, where they join blind totals with partial blinds, here they wanted to solve it by applying a coefficient, a time of advantage that is given to the blind total with respect to the partial ones.
| Men | Women | ||
| Sub-class | C | Sub-class | C |
| B1 | 00:00:00 | B1 | 00:00:00 |
| B2-B3 | + 00: 03: 18 | B2-B3 | + 00: 03: 48 |
TN- But where is the advantages of some, as you say?
DM - Observing the results of last year's Paratriathlon World Series and the Edmonton World Championship, it is clear that in the Pt2, Pt3 and Pt4 categories the first classifieds are always those affected by the arm, in Pt4 up to the 9º position Amputee triathletes who run with leg prostheses do not start to appear.
And I wonder:
Suddenly, all the arm are very good and those who run with prosthesis are very bad?
Or is there a clear decompensation in the categories that the ITU and those who have implemented this new system do not want to see?
Why are transitions not taken into account when making this classification?
TN- Does that mean that those who wear prosthetics are clearly at a disadvantage?
DM- It is not the same for a triathlete who has to get out of the water, do a pretransition to put on a prosthesis or use crutches to get to his bike, another one that does not have to do it, that is three transitions against two .
Nor is it taken into account the time that these triathletes lose in the changes of prosthesis in each transition.
TN- But the ITU and the CPI consider you already elite triathletes
DM- If what we want is for Paratriathlon to be an Elite sport, the first thing is that there is a more or less equality between the athletes and their categories, that the result of a test depends on the performance of each athlete and not a bad one. classification, which clearly benefits some and harms others.
Many of us here, we play a lot, not only a medal in a world championship, but grants, scholarships, sponsorships ... and with this new classification many have lost the ability to fulfill our dream of being athletes and live it .
TN- So Rio will only go a few categories and others will be left without a ticket?
DM-Now we find the situation that after the CPI forced the ITU to reduce the categories, it tells them that it only gives them three medal events for Rio 2016, this means, that of five categories they can only go to Rio 2016 three. They do not have to be the same three in men and women, but one thing that was said is that yes they would be all the categories represented in the games and it has not been like that.
The 2016 will attend:
Pt4 male and female.
Pt2 Male and female.
Pt5 Female.
Pt1 Male
TN- And the rest?
DM- Many of us have sacrificed several years to go to Rio 2016 and now we see ourselves in the situation where we can not apply for Adop Scholarships, we are out of work and we have to look for a living in order to survive as triathletes or in the worst case , leave the sport of Elite and get to work.
It is clear that this is not the fault of the Spanish Paralympic Committee, or the Fetri, but in my opinion, I think that certain athletes, who have left everything to compete for and for their country, should be helped in some way to that can continue competing at the highest level.
In short, the Paralympic triathlon goes through a complicated situation, I think, and I repeat that it is my opinion, that the categories that will not be in Rio 2016 will tend not to disappear, I hope, but to lose a lot of competitiveness, because if to qualify for go to a World Championship, you have to travel half the world spending money that you will not recover in the form of scholarships, the truth is that it is not worth doing and if you choose another type of tests that can help you medically go ahead.
TN- And what are you going to do then?
DM- Reinvent yourself or die, they say, and I really prefer to reinvent myself and continue enjoying this sport that has given me so much in such a short time. But I can not keep quiet and let that sport that has given me so much does not live up to the expectations of any athlete ...
It is clear that Dani sees the realities of this sport clearly and perhaps many of those who are involved have not realized the changes, the new direction that it seems that international leaders decide where to go, without perhaps seeing the reality of the Triathlon and the triathletes who aspire to be Paralympic.
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