33
Carbondale, CO
University of Central Florida '13
Name: Kyle Coon
Sport: ParatriathlonParatriathlon Classification: PTVI
Current Guide: Zack Goodman
Personal
Coon lost his vision at age 7 due to a rare form of eye cancer. He is a member of the U.S. Paratriathlon Resident Team in Colorado Springs, Colorado, coached by USA Triathlon Level II Certified Coach Derick Williamson. In addition to paratriathlon, Kyle is also an avid rock climber, downhill skier and runner. In 2006, he hiked the Ankascocha Trail into Machu Picchu. In 2007, he summited Mt. Kilimanjaro at the age of 15. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor's degree in Communication in 2013, he became an endurance athlete, competing in numerous marathons and triathlons. In 2018, he was a member of the first team of tandem cyclists with all blind or visually impaired stokers (person on the back of a tandem bike) to complete Race Across America — the world’s toughest bicycle race — racing from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland, in 7 days, 15 hours. Later in 2018, at IRONMAN Arizona, Kyle became the first totally blind person to complete an IRONMAN-branded triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run) in under 11 hours. He competed in his first Paralympic Games in Tokyo 2020, where he placed fifth in his event with Zach Goodman as his guide. At the 2021 World Triathlon Para Championships in Abu Dhabi, he earned the bronze medal and then the following year in 2022 become the USA Paratriathlon National Champion in his PTVI sport class. For more about Kyle, visit kylecoon.com. Coon's guide for the Tokyo Games was Andy Potts, a 2004 U.S. Olympian, 2007 Pan American Games gold medalist, decorated IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 athlete and ambassador for the USA Triathlon Foundation. Kyle has a black lab, Hugh, who also serves as his seeing eye dog and works closely with The Seeing Eye, the oldest guide dog school in the world.
Career HighlightsElite Triathlon Career
2024: 2024 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Miami, 2nd place • 2024 World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama, 5th place • 2024 World Triathlon Para Series Montreal.
2023: 2023 World Triathlon Para Series Montreal, 3rd place • 2023 World Triathlon Para Cup Long Beach, 2nd place • 2023 World Triathlon Para Championships Pontevedra, 6th place individual, 1st place Mixed Relay.
2022: Started his 2022 season winning the 2022 Americas Triathlon Para Championships Sarasota-Bradenton on home soil in Florida on March 13, competing alongside his guide Zack Goodman • Claimed his second-ever World Triathlon Para Series gold medal at the 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Yokohama on May 14 in Japan • Earned a back-to-back WTPS medal at the 2022 World Triathlon Para Series Montreal in Canada on July 8 • Became the USA Paratriathlon National Champion for the first-time in his career, winning in Long Beach, Calif. on July 17 • Placed fifth at the Swansea WTPS event in Great Britain on August 6 • Competed in Abu Dhabi at the World Triathlon Para Championships and came in fifth overall • Was a member of Team USA in the inaugural exhibition event for the Paratriathlon Mixed Relay Event in Abu Dhabi, where his team earned the bronze medal alongside teammates Howie Sanborn, Kelly Elmlinger and Grace Norman.
2021: Won his first elite international gold medal at the World Triathlon Para Series opener in Yokohama, Japan, on May 15 • Took silver at the Americas Triathlon Para Championships in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, on June 27 • Placed fifth in his debut paratriathlon showing at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games with his guide Andy Potts on August 28 • Earned the bronze medal in Abu Dhabi at the World Triathlon Para Championships on November 52019: Captured his second career elite podium with a silver at the Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 9 • Earned his first ITU World Paratriathlon Series medal with a bronze in Milan, Italy, on April 27 • Took silver at the Magog ITU Paratriathlon World Cup on July 13 • Was the runner-up in the men's PTVI category at the Toyota USA Paratriathlon National Championships in Long Beach, California, on July 20 • Placed fourth at the Tokyo ITU Paratriathlon World Cup, which was held in a duathlon (run-bike-run) format, on Aug. 172018: Made his elite paratriathlon debut with a fourth-place finish at the Sarasota-Bradenton CAMTRI Paratriathlon American Championships on March 10 • Took silver at the Sarasota-Bradenton ITU Paratriathlon World Cup on Oct. 14
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — USA Triathlon today announced the 2024 U.S. Paralympic Triathlon Team, the 17 elite paratriathletes and two guides who will represent the United States at this summer’s Paralympic Games Paris 2024. The Paris-bound team include...
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