CANADIAN PARACYCLISTS WIN TWO MORE MEDALS ON THE LAST DAY OF THE SANTIAGO 2023 PARAPAN AM GAMES
Santiago, CHE (Nov. 26, 2023) – Para-cycling at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games in Chile concluded with seven Canadians taking on the road race on Nov. 26, adding a bronze and a silver medal to their haul.
On courses ranging from 32.4 to 64 km, athletes in the H1-3, T1-2 and C1-5 categories battled it out on a course bordered by mountains and a cheering Chilean crowd.
After winning gold twice and a bronze medal, 26-year-old Alex Hayward (C1-3) from Quispamsis, NB, rounded off his collection with a silver medal, completing his five laps with a time of 1:18:03h after a close battle with Colombians Alejandro Perea (1:18:01hr) and Esneider Muñoz Marin (1:19:10hr). Santiago 2023 bronze medallist in the road time trial and individual pursuit, Paralympic medallist Mike Sametz, 27, of Calgary, AB, finished sixth.
“I think being so new to cycling, the road aspect of it is the biggest learning curve,” said Hayward. “Given the situation and how it played out I’m pretty happy with how finished. Mike and I had a plan to push the pace at the start, we threw a few attacks and eventually, one of mine stuck. Then it was one and one, and I didn’t have a lot of matches left and Alejandro’s been doing this for a long time, so he sprinted me at the end.”
In the T1-2 men’s and women’s mixed start, former Paralympic swimmer Nathan Clement, 29, of West Vancouver, BC, captured his second medal of the Games by winning bronze, with a time of 58:02m in three laps, 1:07m behind Dennis Dale Connors of the USA and 24 seconds behind Juan Jose Betancourt of Colombia.
“It was a great measuring stick to see where I was at as a rider and as a cyclist,” said Clement. “There’s still so much room I need to grow and expand, but overall, seeing my power and feeling throughout the race and from the start of my cycling to where I am now, this was my strongest performance.”
Also taking part in the mixed start, Shelley Gautier, 55, of Niagara Falls, ON, holder of several World Road Championship titles, finished sixth, 22:03m behind first place.
“I was time trialing by myself in the road race,” laughed Gautier. “But I was able to stick to a constant pedal stroke and I was able to get out there and have fun and I was the second lady and I was catching her, so I did very well.”
Despite a blistering start and a solid battle against the Americans, Paralympian Charles Moreau, 41, from Victoriaville, QC, was the victim of a small collision, costing him precious minutes, good for fourth place with a time of 1:43:56hr just over a minute from the podium, occupied by three runners from the USA, Alfredo De Los Santos (1:42:53hr), Eric Ryan Pinney (1:42:03hr) and Brandon Lyons (1:42:54hr).
Using their strength in their respective categories, former Paralympic skier Mel Pemble, 23, of Victoria, BC, and Paralympic medalist Keely Shaw, 29, of Midale, SK, finished with times of 1:17:08h and 1:47:18hr respectively, to finish fourth and fifth in the women’s C1-3 and C4-5 categories. The C1-3 women’s podium was occupied by Colombian Daniela Munevar, American Jamie Renee Whitmore and Colombian Paula Daniela Caballero, who all finished with a time of 1:11:37hr, while victory went to Colombian Paula Ossa Veloza (1:35:39hr) in the C4-5 women’s race. Mariela Delgado of Argentina and Samathan Bosco of the USA completed the podium, both with a time of 1:47:16hr.
The road race concluded Team Canada’s cycling competition at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games. More information, including results and the full schedule of events, can be found at www.santiago2023.org.
