A Ninth Place Finish for McLean

On day five of Paralympic competition, Western Australian triathlete, Claire McLean, earned herself a ninth place finish in the Women’s PT4 Triathlon.

The PT4 Triathlon involves athletes with a classification score between 495,0 and 557,0.

To earn a classification score between these values an athlete must have a limb loss, cerebral palsy, a brain injury, nerve damage or some kind of joint restriction.

McLean suffers from a condition known as brachial plexus palsy, which she obtained in a motorbike accident at the age of 19.

Claire’s brachial plexus palsy is present in her left arm, causing paralysis in this limb.

Rio 2016 is Claire’s second Paralympic Games, having won a silver medal in cycling in Athens 2004.

Having narrowly missed cycling selection for the London 2012 Games, McLean focused her attention on triathlon.

In her first international triathlon, the 2012 ITU Para-triathlon World Championships, McLean walked away with a third place finish.

Due to Claire’s left arm paralysis, the swimming leg of a triathlon is far more challenging than that of some of her competitors.

She make sup for this disadvantage however with her power on the bike, a true reflection of her international cycling experience.

McLean was tipped as a strong competitor heading into Rio 2016 and did not disappoint, finishing her race in ninth place with a time of 1:19:46.

Fellow Australian, Kate Doughy, also competed in the PT4 Triathlon finishing fifth in a time of 1:15:50.