UCI 2022 Para-cycling Track World Championships: first titles for Switzerland, Belgium and New Zealand as Great Britain continues to dominate

Day three of competition in Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines, France, saw Great Britain once again grabbing the headlines.

Great Britain’s gold rush continues

Katie Toft kickstarted day three for Great Britain as they left off on day two with their 10th gold medal, winning the Women’s C1 3km individual pursuit in 4:42.609. It was Toft’s second gold of these Championships after the 500m time trial.

Great Britain dominated the qualifiers in the Men’s C3 1km time trial as Jaco Van Gass recorded the fastest time of 1:05.525, breaking his own world record in the process. The two-time gold medallist from the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics out-qualified compatriot Finlay Graham by 2.099secs. Graham was looking for his third title in France after winning both the C3 Scratch Race and individual pursuit. The Netherlands’ Stijn Boersma was third fastest in 1:08.811. Come the final, Graham held the lead with a 1:07.460 and was actually fastest after the first time check. But Van Gass cranked things up to take gold in 1:06.122. Boersma won bronze in 1:08.846.

Fourth-fastest qualifier in the Men’s C5 1km time trial, Blaine Hunt,left his best for the finals, blasting the three fastest qualifiers to take gold, in 1:04.292. Fastest qualifier Christopher Murphy (USA) had to make do with silver, while Frenchman Dorian Foulon finished third.

One of Great Britain’s most experienced para-cyclists and five-time Paralympic gold medallist Jody Cundy showed he’s still on top of his game at 44 years old as he qualified fastest for the Men’s C4 1km time trial in 1:05.676. New Zealander Devon Briggs was second fastest, with Slovakia’s Jozef Metelka, who has won two golds already, in third. The final was a template of the qualifiers as Cundy took the honours (1:04.493) and his 13th UCI World title in this speciality. Briggs finished second and Metelka third.

Meanwhile, in the MB 3km individual pursuit, the British tandem of Stephen Bate and his pilot Christopher Latham won gold in a final that saw the Dutch Tristan Bangma and Patrick Boss unable to finish following a crash.

Great Britain’s Daphne Schrager and Japan’s Keiko Sugiura qualified within 0.791secs of each other to make the Women’s C3 3km individual pursuit final, the Brit just edging the Japanese rider. In the final, it was Groundhog Day as Schrager won gold in 3:58.963 ahead of Sugiura in 4:00.661. the USA’s Clara Brown beat Aniek van den Aarssen (NED) in the bronze battle.

A series of firsts

Switzerland’s Flurina Rigling turned the tables on Australia’s Amanda Reid in the Women’s C2 3km individual pursuit, qualifying fastest for the final in 4:02.713 with Reid second, nearly 8secs behind in 4:10.50. Reid won gold in yesterday’s Women’s C2 500m time trial with the Swiss rider claiming bronze. Come the final, Rigling never looked threatened as she romped to victory in 4:00.228 to win Switzerland's first gold with Reid claiming silver in 4:08.130. Colombia’s Daniela Carolina Munevar Florez beat Australia’s Sarah Ellington in the ride-off for bronze.  

Belgium also celebrated their first victory of the UCI 2022 Para-cycling Track World Championships in the Women’s B 1km time trial as Griet Hoet and pilot Anneleen Monsieur recorded 1:07.410 at an average speed of 53.404km/hr. Australia won silver with Great Britain winning bronze.

And Nicole Murray won New Zealand’s first gold medal of the competition, in the Women’s C5 10km Scratch Race, adding to her bronze in the C5 individual pursuit earlier in the meet. Great Britain’s Crystal Lane-Wright won silver with France’s Marie Patouillet taking bronze.

Ten Argiles, Léauté and Petricola add to their gold collections

The Men’s C1 3km individual pursuit saw the USA’s Aaron Keith qualify for the final as fastest rider. The 51-year-old’s 3:48.607 was 2.071secs faster than Spain’s Ricardo Ten Argiles, who had beaten Keith to gold in Thursday’s Men’s C1 Scratch Race. It was set to be an enthralling final… and so it proved as the Spaniard turned the tables, winning gold by the finest of margins (3:47.625 versus 3:47.885). Germany’s Pierre Senska beat Great Britain’s Sam Ruddock to take bronze.

France’s Alexandre Léauté has enjoyed a memorable UCI World Championships. On day one, the 22-year-old broke the world record in the Men’s C2 Omnium – 200m Flying Start. Léauté then won gold on day two in the Men’s C2 1km time trial. On Saturday, he qualified fastest in the Men’s C2 3km individual pursuit in 1:14.922, ahead of the man he beat into second yesterday, Japan’s Shota Kawamoto (1:15.382). Spurred on by the passionate and partisan French crowd, Léauté gradually wore down his Japanese opponent in the final to pass him just before the finish line and claim another title. Great Britain’s Ryan Taylor beat Belgium’s Ewoud Vromant to win bronze.

Australia’s Emily Petricola also won her second gold medal of the UCI 2022 Para-cycling Track World Championships in the Women’s C4 10km Scratch Race after winning gold in yesterday’s Women’s C4 3km individual pursuit. The Aussie was in sublime form as she beat America’s Samantha Bosco into silver. Meg Lemon (AUS) finished third.

Brief explanation of para-cycling sport classes on the track

C – Cyclist: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary (divided into different sport classes - 1 to 5 - with the lower the number indicating greater impairment).

B – Visually impaired: tandem bicycle ridden with sighted pilot

Full results and live timing