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News posted on Saturday 5th August, 2023

Day 3 (track): Briggs bags bronze in Cycling World Championships!

Devon Briggs head down racing

Cambridge teenager Devon Briggs has carried off another medal for New Zealand in the Glasgow 2023 Cycling World Championships. Interviewed after winning bronze, Briggs shared how pleased he was with how the C3 Kilometre Time Trial went:

“It was an amazing ride. It was really cool. In that last lap I just thought about keeping position and just keeping my legs turning. I dug deep and gave that everything.”

Briggs, who was born with severe club feet, finished just +0.644 seconds behind the UK’s Jaco van Gass in first place. The UK’s Graham Finlay was in second place, and the home crowd in Glasgow were delighted with the double medal win for the UK.

Coach Damian Wiseman believes Devon has stepped up his game in this World Championships:

“Devon rode two solid rides today and backed up with the same time, something he hasn’t done before in competition. He has well and truly inserted himself into the battle at the top of the C3 classification. Devon performed well at his first worlds last year, but the level of racing at this World Championships a year out from the Paralympics has stepped up a level. It is great to see him step up with the rest of the world.”

Teammates Ben Westenberg and Nick Blincoe weren’t as lucky as Briggs, finishing 9th and 15th respectively in the C4 qualifiers for the same event. Despite riding well, they didn’t quite have the legs to push through for the placings they were looking for.

The C4 Scratch Race saw tactical skills on display from Paralympian #225 Anna Taylor. Always in the right place, Taylor demonstrated her progression from last year’s World Championships both in her speed and her strategic understanding of her race. She was outfoxed by the Swiss and American teams who had multiple cyclists in the race able to support each other, as well as by a spectacular sprint finish from China’s Xiaohui Li who claimed gold. Taylor placed 4th.

Paralympian #213 Sarah Ellington rode a solid race in the 200m C2 Time Trial, finishing 9th. She continues to build confidence and capability in this event.

Coach Damian Wiseman was pleased with the performances:

“We had solid rides from all of our athletes today. These Championships are important to us not just for themselves but also for valuable Paralympic Games qualification points. The work that all of our athletes are doing here is critical for that.”

Results

Athlete

Event

Result

Sport Class

DAY 1

Nicole Murray

3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying

2nd (qualified for gold final) +3.325 + PB

WC5

Anna Taylor

3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying

 3rd (qualified for bronze final) +7.713 + PB

WC4

Sarah Ellington

3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying

5th +22.023

WC2

Ben Westenberg

4Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying

5th +7.016 + PB

MC4

Nick Blincoe

4Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying

22nd +37.730

MC4

Devon Briggs

3Km Individual Pursuit Qualifying

4th (qualified for bronze final) +7.416

MC3

DAY 2

Nicole Murray

500m Time Trial Qualifying

3rd +0.998

WC5

Ben Westenberg

200m FS Time Trial

4th +0.962

MC4

Nick Blincoe

200m FS Time Trial

7th +1.232

MC4

Nicole Murray

500m Time Trial Finals

Bronze +0.639

WC5

DAY 3

Sarah Ellington

200m FS Time Trial

9th

WC2

Devon Briggs

 Kilometre Time Trial Qualifying

2nd (qualified for final)

MC3

Nick Blincoe

Kilometre Time Trial Qualifying

15th +6.901

MC4

Ben Westenberg

Kilometre Time Trial Qualifying

9th +4.833

MC4

Devon Briggs

Kilometre Time Trial Finals

 Bronze +0.644

MC3

Anna Taylor

10Km Scratch Final

4th

WC4 

DAY 4

Nicole Murray

200m FS Time Trial

4th

WC5

Nicole Murray

3Km Individual Pursuit Finals

Silver

WC5

Devon Briggs

15Km Scratch Finals

Bronze

MC3

DAY 5

Sarah Ellington

500m Time Trial Qualifying

9th

WC2

Devon Briggs

200m FS Time Trial

1st (non-medal event)

MC3

Anna Taylor

500m Time Trial Qualifying

5th +3.092

WC4

Nick Blincoe

15Km Scratch Finals

20th

MC4

Ben Westenberg

15Km Scratch Finals

Silver

MC4

Anna Taylor

500m Time Trial Finals

4th +2.604

WC4

Devon Briggs

3Km Individual Finals

Bronze

MC3

DAY 6

Anna Taylor

200m FS Time Trial

2nd (non-medal event)

WC4

Anna Taylor

3Km Individual Pursuit Finals

4th

WC4

Nicole Murray

10Km Scratch Finals

4th

WC5

DAY 7

TBC

Team Sprint Qualifying

9th

M/WC1-5

Sarah Ellington

10Km Scratch Final

8th

WC2

OMNIUM

Ben Westenberg

Omnium

Bronze

C4

Nick Blincoe

Omnium

11th

C4

Devon Briggs

Omnium

Bronze

C3

Anna Taylor

Omnium

Gold

C4

Sarah Ellington

Omnium

7th

C2

Nicole Murray

Omnium

Gold

C5

Looking ahead to Day 4

On day 4, New Zealand Para cyclists compete in three races, with three medal prospects. First up, Nicole Murray will tackle the 200m C5 Time Trial. Later in the day, she competes again in the 3km Individual Pursuit finals. Finally, Devon Briggs will get to work in the 15km Scratch Race.


See the schedule of when the New Zealanders compete
. Livestreaming is available for some events, and links to the livestreams are provided on the schedule.

ABOUT THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

The UCI Cycling World Championships (opens a new tab) have been dubbed the ‘Super Worlds’. They bring together 13 different World Championships in various cycling disciplines into one massive event in Glasgow, Scotland. The Para cyclists will compete in track events until next Tuesday 8th August. Following that they then contest road events from Wednesday 9th August through to Sunday 13th August.


WHAT DO THE CLASSIFICATIONS MEAN IN PARA CYCLING?

  • Classification groups Para cyclists with an eligible impairment into sports classes, according to how much their impairment affects their ability to carry out the fundamental activities in their sport.
  • Para athletes who are able to use a standard bicycle (with approved adaptations) compete in the five sport classes C1-5.
  • Sport class C1 is allocated to athletes with the most severe activity limitation. The sport class C5 is allocated to athletes with minimum impairments.
  • The C1-5 sport classes include athletes with limb deficiency, impaired muscle power or range of motion and impairments affecting co-ordination, such as uncoordinated movements and involuntary movements.

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