Manitoba's triathlon community turns out to support Olympic competitor Tyler Mislawchuk
Mislawchuk, from Oak Bluff, Man., was scheduled to compete on Tuesday, but event has been postponed
Supporters of Manitoba triathlete Tyler Mislawchuk hope the third time's the charm for the Olympic hopeful ahead of his highly anticipated competition in France.
Mislawchuk is set to race in the men's triathlon event at the Summer Olympic Games in Paris. The event was supposed to begin Tuesday at 1 a.m. CT, but it has been postponed over concerns about water quality in the Seine River, where the swimming portion of the race would take place.
Hours prior to the postponement being announced, about 40 cyclists had gathered along a service road Monday evening in Mislawchuk's home community of Oak Bluff, Man., about 18 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg.
The paved service road along the Perimeter Highway between Oak Bluff and Wilkes Avenue, dubbed the Road to Gold, has served as a training ground for Mislawchuk and Paralympic triathlete Leanne Taylor.
Jared Spier, executive director of Triathlon Manitoba, said having two elite athletes from the Oak Bluff community presented the club with a "cool opportunity" to show its support.
"We're so lucky with Tyler as an ambassador for our sport and … for our province," he said.
"He's exactly who you want to cheer for. He's hard-working, he's well-spoken. He's got no ego about him. And it's just, it's great to have everybody behind him because it's so easy to get behind him."
Nicole Dunn, president of Triple Threat Triathlon Club, came up with the idea of getting some of Manitoba's triathlon clubs together to show support for Mislawchuk, who previously finished 15th in both the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and the 2020 Tokyo Games.
"This is just another demonstration of how we like to support each other and encourage each other to do the best we can. And we're all rooting for Tyler," she said.
Mislawchuk has battled injuries and illnesses in the past year, but he's currently "in the best shape that he's been in for an Olympics," Spier said.
In addition to competing at the highest levels of the sport, the 29-year-old Mislawchuk has served as an inspiration to younger generations of triathletes — like Turk Dingwall, 16, who trains with Mislawchuk's former coach.
"It's such an inspiration to have him come back and train with him. He's always super supportive," said Dingwall.
Tracey Code's son, Blake Harris, is currently training with Project Podium, Canada's training program for athletes hoping to compete in the 2028 Olympic Games.
She's been communicating with Mislawchuk's family ahead of his race, giving her "a tiny bit" of awareness of how they feel, something she knows from her own experience watching her son compete.
"Nerve-racking — every race this year, just waiting and watching and hoping everything goes OK," Code said of watching her son's races.
"After the bike part is done then there's really a lot less risk, and then he just has to run without falling over, so that's easy."
The Olympic men's triathlon feature a 1,500-metre swim in the Seine River, followed by a 40-kilometre bike ride and a 10-kilometre run.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will take place between Aug. 28 and Sept. 8.
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With files from The Associated Press