Parathriatlet gets going

US general and earthquake: A start with history

Florian Brungraber, paratriathlon silver medal winner in Tokyo, opens the Paralympics year in Yokohama with new equipment, some of which was developed with KTM. His accommodation and the competition venue in the Japanese city are full of history. 

As a General of the Army in the Second World War and as Commander-in-Chief in the Pacific War, he became one of the most highly decorated soldiers in the United States armed forces. And like Charlie Chaplin and baseball legend Babe Ruth, General Douglas McArthur was also a guest at the "New Grand Hotel" in the Japanese metropolis of Yokohama.

"Simply a great fit"
The four-star hotel where paratriathlete Florian Brungraber has also been staying since Thursday. "It's only a few hundred meters away from the competition area and I can even see down to the swim start from my hotel room. It's just perfect," says the Lasberger about the hotel, which is steeped in history.

But the place where the World Triathlon Para Series will open the season after the cancellation in Abu Dhabi is also full of history. Especially as Yamashita Park (start area and service station) was built from rubble and debris from the great Kantō earthquake of 1923 (142,800 dead).

Immortalized in history books
Brungraber himself has also already made his mark in the history books in Japan, winning the silver medal at the 2021 Games in Tokyo. Will the race on the island be historic again this time? At least a little. Because in Yokohama, the 39-year-old will be inaugurating his new, improved equipment - and Brungraber has even collaborated with KTM Technologies on it.

Brungraber with the new material.(Bild: zVg)

Neck protection made of carbon
"For the handbike, we built a carbon neck brace together. These are simply things that can make a difference," says Brungraber, who already has good cards on the road to Paris before the official start of the season. "With my current points tally, I'm qualified for the Paralympics, but I want to play it safe and add to my tally," says the top paratriathlete.