BILL WANTS TO GO TO RIO AFTER PARATRIATHLON GOLD IN BEIJING

TRIATHLON, September 9: Gold Coaster Bill Chaffey has won Australia's first gold medal at the Dextro Energy ITU Triathlon World Championships in Beijing, reclaiming his Paratriathlon title in inspiring fashion.

The 34-year-old dominated his Tri-1 category despite some vigorous attention from a Canadian opponent in the 750m swim, which he admitted left him struggling in the early stages.

But he recovered to be well placed going into the 20km hand-cycle bike leg, adopting a "catch me if you can attitude" in the final five-kilometre wheelchair component of the course.

An elated Chaffey surged across the line to win the gold medal and the cheers of the vocal Aussie supporters in the crowd, after finishing with silver at the ITU World Championships in Hungary last year.

The Paratriathlon is almost certain to be included in the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Chaffey said today: "I'm not sure exactly what the selection criteria is but I'm available....I'm putting my hand up...I want to go to Rio."

Chaffey started in triathlon in 2001 and in 2004 he qualified for an Ironman but  on 29 March 2005 (five days before the race) he was hit from behind by a truck whilst training on the bike, leaving him a  paraplegic.

"I broke four vertebrae, suffered an open book pelvic fracture and two broken elbows.  My left leg was paralyzed from the hip down.  My right leg has about 90% strength with a lot of loss of feeling." said Chaffey.

"After getting out of hospital I immediately wanted to get back to sport so I started swimming and then bought a racing wheelchair to take up marathons.

"The natural progression was to get a handcycle and return to triathlon.  My first race back was the 2008 Gold Coast 70.3."

Chaffey qualified for the ITU World Championships on the Gold Coast and won the gold medal at the 2009 championships and has not looked back since.

He admitted his decision to start training under noted Gold Coast coach Brian King at C1 Performance Coaching has given him the edge.

"Brian has been amazing and I have to thank him for all the time and effort he has put in, it certainly worked," said Chaffey.

"That win is probably at the top of the list of achievements, up there with my win at home on the Gold Coast in 2008."

Chaffey was hugged by his wife Vanessa soon after his victory and with the gold medal sitting proudly around his neck said the win would the perfect birthday present for daughter Amity, who turns six on Monday.

"Both my girls, Amity and Heidi, 8, are back home on the Coast and I can't wait to tell them the news," said Chaffey.

Australia's other Paratriathletes, six-time Paralympian Michael Milton (Tri-2) and Matt Brumby (Tri-1) finished just out of the medals in other two inspiring performances in an afternoon which attracted a host of the world's finest Paralympians back to Beijing.

Meanwhile in the Men's Elite Under 23 World Championship earlier in the day, Wollongong-based former Newcastle boy Aaron Royle was the best of the Australians, finishing 14th in a red-hot field in hot, windy conditions on the tough Beijing Olympic course.

Fellow Aussies Peter Kerr and Mitch Robins were 26th and 49th respectively.

Royle and Kerr both began well, coming out of the 1.5km swim in the top ten.

But only Royle could match it with some of the best young riders in the world and on one of the toughest bike courses on the circuit.

Kerr struggled up the notorious Beijing climb and fell off the chase pack on the first lap.

Robins was well back in the second half of the swim and as hard as he tried couldn't get himself back in the hunt and fell well back on the run.

Royle said his swim-bike was good but he faded in the second half of the run, dominated by the three British boys, Matthew Sharp, David McNamee and Thomas Bishop who gave the Brits a extraoirdinary trifecta.

"I actually thought I put myself in a good position in the run but just couldn't go on with it," said Royle.

"I certainly didn't come to Beijing to finish 14th so as far as the result is concerned I am disappointed.

"But there is a lot I can take from these Championships that's for sure and I'll be better for the experience.

"It was my first ever World Championships in the under 23s and I want to come back again.

"It was a tough race, close to the toughest given the hot weather, the wind and the course and it was even a step up from the other World Championship Series races I had contested.

"The Russians really set the pace on the bike before those British boys took over in the run.

"It's a bit scary really for one country to have the two best Senior Elites in Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee and then for these three boys to dominate the podium here."

Kerr admitted he just wasn't prepared for the hill climb.

"I was a spent force on those hills....on the flat I was fine but those climbs really hurt me," said Kerr.

Competition continues Saturday with the Age Group Sprint Distance, Junior Women and Elite Men, featuring Brad Kahlefeldt, Chris McCormack, Brendan Sexton and Courtney Atkinson.