Hailey Danisewicz won the Rio 2016 Paralympic test event and will be aiming for World Championship glory ©Getty Images

An 18-strong United States team has been named for the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Para-triathlon World Championships, due to take place on Friday (September 18)  in Chicago’s Grant Park.

Athletes are set to compete in five sport classes at the Championships and will have to complete a 750 metres swim, 20 kilometres bike and a 5km run alongside Lake Michigan and through the streets of Chicago, before finishing at the iconic Buckingham Fountain.

Winners of the sport classes will secure a team quota sport for the Rio 2016.

Six of the American team for the Championships have already provisionally qualified for next year’s Paralympics due to their performances in Rio de Janeiro last month.

Both genders will have PT2 and PT4 events in at next year’s Paralympics, while there will also be men’s PT1 and women’s PT5 races.

Hailey Danisewicz, winner of the PT2 women’s event which doubled as the Rio 2016 test event, is among the athletes set to be on the start-line for the Championships and will be joined by Grace Norman, Patricia Walsh, Krige Schabort, Mark Barr and Chris Hammer, all of whom have a provisional Paralympic spot.

Aaron Scheidies and Chris Hammer could also be medal hopes for the American team
Aaron Scheidies and Chris Hammer could be medal hopes for the American team at the Para-triathlon World Championships in Chciago ©Detroit Triathlon/Facebook

Schabort and Kendall Gretsch enters the PT1 men’s and women’s races as the defending world champion and PT2 athlete Melissa Stockwell will bidding to win her fourth world title, but missed last year’s Championships due to pregnancy.

The women’s team for the Championships also includes Mary Kate Callahan, Patricia Collins, Amy Dixon, Allysa Seely and Andrea Walton.

Jamie Brown, Brian Norberg, Aaron Scheidies, JP Theberge and Jeremy Winters complete the men’s team for the event.

In addition to the Para-triathlon World Championships, the ITU World Triathlon Grand Final will also be taking place in the city with 12 races due to take place from September 15 to 19.

The Grand Final will include elite, junior and under-23 events, as well as aquathlon, sprint and Olympic distance age group triathlon World Championships.



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