Paralympian #221 Rory Mead provided the day eight highlight for the NZ Paralympic Team at Paris 2024 executing a courageous ride to finishing an outstanding fourth in the Men’s H1-2 Road Race.
Despite a one-hour delay due to heavy surface flooding caused by torrential rain and a decision to subsequently reduce the race distance by a lap, the 37-year-old US-based Porirua-raised handcyclist remained calm and composed to complete the 42.6km distance in 1:40:34 and produce his best ever result at a Paralympic Games.
In a hard-fought race at the front, defending champion Florian Jouanny prevailed by a 22-second winning margin in 1:20:18 from Sergio Garrote Munoz of Spain, who triumphed the previous day in the Men’s H1 Indvidual Time Trial. Luca Mazzone of Italy took bronze in 1:27.58.
Competing in a light drizzle for much of the race and facing three challenging 14.2km laps provided a stern test and by the end of lap one, Mead was fourth more than four-and-a-half minutes down on Mazzone in provisional bronze.
Competing alone for much of the race he reached two-thirds race distance more than 12 minutes adrift of the leaders. Maintaining commendable focus and at times grimacing in pain up the testing climbs he crossed the line fourth, one place better than he achieved 24 hours earlier at in the Men’s H1 Individual Time Trial and one place superior to his finishing positions in both the Men’s H1 Individual Time Trial and Men’s H1-2 Road Race at Tokyo 2020.
A proud Mead said: “It was probably the wettest ride I’ve ever done, so we had to come up with a bit of Kiwi ingenuity and put plastic bags on my hands to keep dry. In the moment when I was told the race was delayed by an hour, I was not too happy but looking back I’m glad they did because the weather did start to lift. While I was also a fan of the reduced distance because it was cold out there.
“I quickly found myself alone in the race and then it was just a matter of survival. Then I just tapped into into all the training I’d done all year and rode the race to the finish line.”
On achieving his best finish at a Paralympic Games, Mead said: “Fourth is my best so far at a Paralympic Games, but I don’t know if I’m going to be happy until I get on that podium.”
A former non-disabled motocross racer, Mead sustained a spinal cord injury in a racing accident in 2014 in the US but post-accident discovered a passion for handcycling. Making his competitive debut two years later the quadriplegic made his international debut for New Zealand in 2018. He is based in Ohio in the USA.
There was disappointment for all three New Zealand Para swimmers in action at the Paris La Defense today as the trio missed out on a place in their respective finals. Paralympian #201 Tupou Neiufi, the Tokyo 2020 Women’s Backstroke S8 champion, was devastated to miss out on the final of that event in the defence of her title earlier on the programme at Paris 2024.
Seeking a spot in the medal race of the Women’s 50m Freestyle, Neiufi made a good start in heat one but faded to sixth recording a time of 33.40 behind heat winner Alice Tai (30.52) of Great Britain. The tenth fastest across both heats, the 23-year-old Aucklander missed out on a place in the medal race in her final event at Paris 2024.
Neiufi said: “This wasn’t really a strong race for me, but I guess this was about trying to get that redemption for myself and making sure I felt better after I hop out the pool.
“I’m proud to make it here because there was a lot of questions about whether I would make the team or whether I wanted to be here in Paris because I had a lot of things going on in my life outside of the pool. Although the swims weren’t that great (at Paris 2024), I’m really proud to make it here.”
Christchurch-based duo Gabriella Smith and Lili-Fox Mason both lined up in the Women’s 400m Freestyle S10 but found a place in the final beyond them on this occasion.
The 19-year-old Mason attacked the race from the outset and after 100m sat a handy fourth only to slip back to sixth, recording a time of 5:00.42 – a little under two-and-a-half seconds shy of her personal best. Heat victory was secured by Alexander Truwit of the USA in a time of 4:34.71.
Mason, who concluded her competitive programme at Paris 2024, said: “I’m not super happy with the time I did this morning, it is not how I train to swim that race. But it is my first (Paralympic) Games and it is super exciting to be in a field with a lot of talented competitors, I’m excited to see where I go from here.”
The 18-year-old Smith, the youngest member of the NZ Paralympic Team in Paris, finished sixth in heat two registering a time of 5:02.31 as Tokyo 2020 bronze medallist Bianka Pap of Hungary claimed top spot in 4:40.84. Smith will climax her competitive programme at Paris 2024 on Saturday (7 September) in the Women’s 200m Individual Medley SM10.
While Smith was the youngest performer for the NZ Paralympic Team at Paris 2024 the oldest member of the NZ Paralympic Team 62-year-old Paralympian #204 Greg Reid competed in qualification for the R6 Mixed 50m Rifle Prone SH1. The Featherston-based Shooting Para sport athlete did not have his best competition – placing 36th with a total score of 600.6pts and did not progress to the eight-strong final.
Reid, who has completed his competitive programme at Paris 2024, said: “My first series I decided to speed up and I pulled two shots quite badly I was a bit annoyed with myself and the rest of the competition nothing was working. I couldn’t call the wind, and I was a bit frustrated.
“My overall competitive performance was not quite what I wanted. In the R3 I didn’t get enough together at the right time, so I was disappointed with myself but I’m happy to be here.”
Seven New Zealand athletes compete across four sports on day 9 (Friday-Saturday September 6-7 NZT) including four athletes who will be seeking multiple medals at Paris 2024.
Paralympian #195 Anna Grimaldi, who claimed a stunning Women’s 100m T47 bronze medal earlier this week, returns to the Stade de France hunting a hat-trick of Paralympic titles in the Women’s Long Jump T47. Meanwhile, Paralympian #183 Holly Robinson, who notched a bronze medal in the Women’s Shot F46 at Paris 2024, is back to defend her Paralympic title in her specialist event, the Women’s Javelin F46.
Also in Para athletics action is Men’s 400m T36 silver medallist Paralympian #208 Will Stedman, who competes in the heats of the Men’s 100m T36 targeting a spot in the final.
Paralympian #222 Nicole Murray, who claimed a Women’s C5 3000m Individual Pursuit bronze medal on the track will be seeking a second podium spot in the Women’s C4-5 Road Race while Paralympian #164 Cameron Leslie will be chasing a third final at Paris 2024 in the Men’s 50m Freestyle S4.
The day will also see the first appearance at Paris 2024 of our two Para canoe paddlers as Paralympian #198 Scott Martlew competes in the heats of both the Men’s 200m KL2 and the Men’s 200m VL3 with his fellow Kiwi Peter Cowan also taking to the water at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium in the latter event.
For a full guide of when to watch the Kiwis and other Paris 2024 related information go here
