If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a hundred times. The men’s PTS5 class has been one of the most cut-throat contests in all of triathlon this year. Nothing quite reflects this more than the fact that it has become close to impossible for any athlete in the class to defend a major title.
Tokyo Paralympic champion Martin Schulz found himself knocked down from 1st to 3rd place in Paris. Or take World Para Triathlon Championships silver medallist, Jack Howell. The Australian was the Oceania champion in 2024 but was stunned at this year’s race to the continental crown. Europe likewise saw a change of gold medallist from 2024 to 2025. And then there is the question of the world title.
As defending world champion Stefan Daniel was forced into 4th place in Wollongong, one of the stars of Paris, Paralympic champion Chris Hammer, came roaring through to reclaim the gold and reassert himself atop the class. For Hammer, Wollongong was one of the sweetest victories yet.
“I won once previously in 2021,” he said, “but that was the same year as the Tokyo Paralympic Games which was more of the focus of the season, so it never felt like a true world title. But this year, it definitely has the feel of complete legitimacy. It’s a good feeling for sure.”
As befitting a PTS5 field in which anyone can happen upon a hot hand at any given race, Hammer’s title did not come easy. His primary opposition came in the form of Howell. Up against a rising star of the sport who had immense home support willing him on, it was a bout that lasted the full twelve rounds.
“I think it (the PTS5 class) is probably one of the most competitive classification in all of Para sport. So I always say I could have a great race and end up well out of the well off the podium. Nothing’s guaranteed. And the competition’s so fast and they’re so young. I’m 39 years old; Jack is low-20s, I think. I never know what to expect.”
“He (Howell) gets such a big lead on the swim. I don’t think I really cut into his lead too much on the bike after the first lap or so. And I’m thinking, ‘man, this guy’s on another level right now’. But eventually I was able to make gains on the bike and when I start the run with anyone, I always feel confident knowing that that was my background before I ever came to triathlon.”
Locked side-by-side in the early stages of the 5km run, there was little to separate Howell and Hammer. However a late attack by the American was enough to break the home star and carry him to victory by 28 seconds.
“I don’t want to leave things to chance. I tried to keep pushing the pace a little bit mid-run just to see if I could get some separation, because I just didn’t know what Jack had in store. Fortunately for me, it paid off.”
Having started racing internationally in 2013, Hammer has seen the class and the sport as a whole grow. On the class front, one major development has been the wave of young talent coming through, which itself has proven a driving force of the category’s competitiveness.
“For the longest time, it seems like if Martin Schulz or Stefan Daniel were in the race, they were the only ones up there and it was a foregone conclusion that they would win. They’re still amazing, obviously, but you have so many guys coming through. You have Jack (Howell), and you have the young Irishman, Tom (Williamson), and you have (Filipe) Marques from Portugal. They’re these phenomenal swimmers who are shaking things up from the very get-go of the race, and it puts even the legends of the fields like the Martins and the Stefans fighting to be in contention after an initial punch in the face by how fast those guys swim!”
“I don’t swim well at all, so for me it’s really coming out of the water knowing I have to just give it everything I have and more on the bike to try to get into contention. I never know. I can have a tremendous bike, but there’s no guarantee I’m putting myself back in the race because of just how fast these guys start off.”
“And it’s good. It’s good for Para sport, it’s good for Para Triathlon to have such high level talent competing against each other now and not having any foregone conclusion as to who is going to win or how the podium’s going to shake out.”
Hammer knows better than anyone the uncertain nature of PTS5 racing. From the glorious high of Paralympic gold on the streets of Paris, he only managed 4th at the World Championships later in the year.
“So it’s funny. After Paris was the focus for the year I came to Torremolinos and I’d say I had let myself go a little bit. I didn’t have the best preparation heading in. And the result showed. Then my wife said, and what was a little sad after, ‘oh, he’s lost the fire’. And that comment kind of stuck with me. If I’m going to continue to do this, I can’t just go through the motions. I’m going to have to do things the right way.”
The fire reignited, his thoughts turned to 2025. Hammer, however, raced sparingly on the international scene this year. A World Para Cup win and a World Para Series medal, both in Canada, hinted at solid form, but otherwise he stayed home, biding his time. Two factors that conspired against a larger schedule were an early run injury and the support from USA Triathlon that meant he did not feel pressured to chase results.
“In 2025, I got off to a slow start. I wasn’t necessarily super enthusiastic about my training in the first half of the year or so. But then the last several months I really got dialled in and was really motivated to have a good showing in Wollongong. Honestly, it’s probably the most confident I’ve ever been leading into a race about my ability to perform, just because I was so dialled in with training.”
Now riding the Wollongong high, it would be natural for thoughts to turn to the biggest prize lurking at the end of the quadrennial. LA 2028. A home Paralympic Games. However, with the PTS5 class seldom standing still, claiming back-to-back Paralympic golds will be a tall order. Moreover, Hammer is aware his fight may be against an opponent even more ruthless than any of his international rivals. Time.
“I’ll be 42 in LA. I know at some point the wheels will begin to fall off and because of that, even though LA is obviously the goal, I’m really focusing on just taking it one season at a time, really a day at a time, and just trying to enjoy the process and enjoy the competition. That’s going to be in front of me.”
“I think that’s one reason why this competition (Wollongong) was special for me is because I keep thinking anytime I’m on top of the podium and I hear the national anthem playing that it might be the last time it ever happens. There’s nothing guaranteed.”
That being said, it was put to him that Daniel Molina was just shy of his 50th birthday when he won PTS2 gold in Paris last year. “He’s blazed the trail,” acknowledged Hammer.
“I think maybe a 40-year-old now means something different than being a 40-year-old a while back. There might be a better understanding of how to recover, how to take care of your bodies and all that. So even though in some ways I’m feeling my age in other ways, I still feel like there’s areas I can improve. So I do think that I can find ways to improve and continue to get better, even if I need longer to recover after workouts or whatever that might be.”
And for the time being: how does he plan to hold off Howell, Schulz, Daniel and more in 2026?
“I have to make sure my strength remains my strength. I can’t sacrifice a strong bike-run because I’m trying to swim myself up or become some new swimmer who’s somehow 45 seconds faster. If that hasn’t happened a dozen years into my triathlon career, it probably won’t. But I can continue to make sure that I’m the strongest bike-runner in the field, and so I think I just have to stay on top of that. I can’t let that slide.”
It’s therefore game on in 2026. The PTS5 class may be growing ever stronger, but the champ is not going anywhere.