Stefan Daniel fought back from third at the end of the swim to claim the fifth Para Triathlon World Championship of his career in the PTS5 classification in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Daniel, 25, came out of the pool third in the 750-metre swim but worked his way back to the front of the pack in the 20-km bike ride and maintained the lead in the final 5-km run against long-time rival Martin Schulz, of Germany. He crossed the finish line with a time of 58:24, 49 seconds ahead of Schulz. American athlete Chris Hammer was third with a time of 01:00:50
It was an emotional finish for Daniel after working his way back from an injury. He credits his victory to his ability to remain calm and play it smart while racing in extreme heat.
Born with bilateral radial club hands with his right arm significantly more affected, Stefan began triathlon after winning national titles in high school cross-country and gaining international experience in para-swimming.
His journey began at age 8 when he joined a Cochrane swimming club. He attended junior high at St. Timothy High School and is a graduate of the National Sport School of Calgary.
At just 16, Daniel took part in his first Para Triathlon World Championship in 2013 and won bronze with Germany's Schulz winning gold. It was the start of a duel between the two that continues to this day. Schulz won gold again in 2014, and Daniel finished second. In 2015, Daniel completed his climb to the top, claiming his first of five gold medals.
At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Paralympic Games, he was a silver medallist and become the first Canadian para-triathlete to medal. Schulz won gold.
Daniel won his second medal in the 2020 Japan Paralympics, this time a bronze. Schulz once again won gold and George Peasgood of Great Britain finished second.
As a member of the UCalgary cross-country team, he finished 10th at USports nationals in 2018 and helped lead the team to a national championship. He was 12th at the 2019 USports nationals in the Dinos repeat championship. Previous to that, he finished first in the Canada West championship.
For his exceptional 2018 season, Daniel was named Elite Triathlete of the Year by Triathlon Canada.