Three Canadian triathletes to try for podium at Paris 2024
Three Canadian triathletes will be swimming, biking and running their way towards their Olympic dreams at Paris 2024. Team Canada will be represented in triathlon by Emy Legault, Tyler Mislawchuk, and Charles Paquet – a strong squad with lots of multi-sport games experience to their names.
At 29-years old, Mislawchuk is headed to his third Olympic Games, ready to contend for the podium. He boasts one of the most successful resumés for a Canadian triathlete in the 20 years that the sport has been a part of the Olympic Games.
Ahead of Tokyo 2020, Mislawchuk won the Olympic Test Event–the first Canadian to ever do so. In 2019, he also became the first Canadian man to win a medal at a World Triathlon Championship Series event. Mislawchuk finished 15th at both Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020, but is hoping for more heading into Paris 2024. In 2023, he placed ninth at two major events, the World Triathlon Sprint Championships and the World Triathlon Championship Series (WTCS) Finals, and won silver at the World Triathlon Cup in Huatulco.
“Third time’s a charm. I’m probably just as excited as I was for my first Olympics but three is special. It is an elite club and I’m honoured to represent the maple leaf for what will be an epic trip to Paris this summer,” said Mislawchuk, who will be just the second Canadian triathlete to compete in three Olympic Games. “My first Games in Rio, I was just so excited to make the team as an underdog. Tokyo, I came in with a lot stronger odds on me and I ended up injuring myself, and now I find myself in Paris in the prime of my career ready to rip.
“I’ve learned a lot from my last two Olympics, and you can’t buy that information that I have learned so I’m ready to put it to good use over these last few weeks of preparation. I always struggle with the idea that I’m a role model or I will inspire others with my performances, but I just hope my story shows that if a small town kid who grew up in the middle of the prairies in Oak Bluff, Manitoba training in -50 degrees can make it to the Summer Olympics then anyone can get there and compete against the best in the world.”
Paquet and Legault will make their Olympic debuts in Paris, but are not lacking experience on the international stage.
At 26-years-old, Paquet has been delivering the best season of his career ahead of the Games. In mid-May, he earned his best ever WTCS result, placing fifth in Yokohama, Japan. Two weeks later, he finished seventh at the final WTCS race to count towards Olympic qualification in Cagliari, Italy. Paquet was a member of Team Canada’s silver medal-winning mixed relay team at the 2019 Pan Am Games and also represented Canada at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
Legault posted a breakthrough season in 2022 when she earned her first podium finish at a World Triathlon Cup, two top-12 finishes on the WTCS, and a 10th place finish at the Commonwealth Games. Legault has continued with momentum, finishing sixth in the women’s race at the Santiago 2023 Pan Am Games where she took bronze with the relay team. She hopes that her experiences at those Pan Am Games will help her navigate her first Olympic Games.
“Representing Canada at the Olympics is the biggest reward I could achieve for all my efforts since I started triathlon at nine years old. This little girl had big dreams and I hope I can inspire other kids to try triathlon and push for their dreams as well. It’s the hardest thing I have ever done, but I have no regrets. It has really shaped the athlete I am, and while I hope I can make Canada proud on July 31, I mostly hope I will do the same for the little girl in me that dreamed so big 19 years ago,” said Legault.
“I’m grateful I could experience the Pan American Games last year, but I’m fully aware the Olympics are a different level of stress and pressure. Hopefully, with that Pan American Games experience in my pocket, the Olympics won’t feel as scary and stressful. I’m keeping my mind open and I know it’s going to be an awesome experience.”
The men’s individual triathlon will take place July 30, followed by the women’s individual on July 31 at the Pont Alexandre III venue.
Team Canada Triathletes at Paris 2024:
Emy Legault (L’Île Perrot, Que.)
Tyler Mislawchuk (Oak Bluff, Man.)
Charles Paquet (Port-Cartier, Que.)