Para cyclists claim silver and bronze on Day 1 of Rio 2024

The 2024 Para Cycling Track World Championships started this morning in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the Kiwis have already carried off two medals.

Paralympian #222 Nicole Murray (C5) raced the first final of the team in the Women’s C5 500m Time Trial and claimed bronze. Paralympian #225 Anna Taylor (C4) soon followed this up with silver in the Women’s C4 500m Time Trial.

Murray is pleased with a solid start to the week:

“Coming into one of the last big events before the Paralympics, it’s awesome to start strong and claim a medal in my first final. This will count towards the Omnium as well, so it’s setting me up well for the week. It’s my first big event racing with a new prosthetic where I connect to my bike adaptation, and that didn’t go completely smoothly this time, but long term I feel I’ll make solid gains.”

Taylor was thrilled to improve on her qualifying time, shaving off a critical half second in the 500m race:

“I went into the final trying to get a bit of redemption. In the heat I was too sleepy. I went into the final trying to give it all I got, to really be aggressive straight from the beginning. That resulted in a silver. I’m pretty happy!”

C4 Para cyclists Nick Blincoe and Ben Westenberg also kicked off their World Championships in strong form. Both secured qualification for the Men’s C4 Scratch Race, as well as delivering 8^th and 9^th place finishes respectively in the Omnium – 200m Flying Start. Blincoe and Westenberg proceed to the 4km Individual Pursuit tomorrow morning, while their three teammates contest the Omnium – 200m Flying Start.

Photos credit Miriam Jeske and Marco Antônio Teixeira, CBC