Canadian Nathan Clement kicks off Para road cycling worlds with time trial gold
Canada is on the board early at the Para road cycling world championships in Dumfries, Scotland.
In the second race of the event, Nathan Clement of West Vancouver, B.C., won gold in the men’s T1 time trial. Shortly after, Shelly Gautier of Niagara Falls, Ont., scored bronze in the women’s version of the race.
Clement, 28, finished the 10.8-kilometre course in 18 minutes 50.35 seconds — well ahead of silver medallist Jianxin Chen of China, who was more than seven seconds behind. Fellow Chinese racer Rongfei Lu took bronze.
He broke down in tears when asked what his first world title meant to him.
“It’s pretty surreal, as you can see, I’m at a loss for words,” said Clement, who two silver medals at last year’s worlds. “I’ve always loved sports my whole life and always understand when athletes get emotional when they win what they dream. I think of all the many people who pushed me to this point through the good and the bad.”
Clement had a stroke at age 2 caused by chicken pox.
“The roller-coaster of life really brings on different challenges, different curveballs you’re not expecting. If you told me right after Rio in 2016 that less than two years later I’d be out of the sport, I would have told you get out because that was not something in my thought process at that time,” he told CBC Sports’ Zack Smart ahead of worlds.
Gautier, meanwhile, took a comfortable third-place finish, clocking in a little over three minutes behind gold medallist Pavlina Vejvodova of the Czech Republic. Great Britain’s Eltje Malzbender rounded out the podium with silver.
The 54-year-old Canadian is a three-time Paralympian and 18-time world champion across the road race and time trial dating back to 2009.
“The race went really well,” said Gautier. “I just focused on the time I wanted. I went out, didn’t worry about anything, and made sure I was well hydrated.”
The T1 classification is one of two tricycle classes for athletes with impairments that affect their balance and coordination.
Also, Charles Moreau of Victoriaville, Que., placed fourth in the men’s H3 time trial, missing out on the podium by eight one-hundredths of a second.
“It was an excellent day for me without any issues,” said Moreau, a double bronze medallist at the 2016 Paralympic Games. “The preparation went very well. I still have two more races [the road race and the relay] to try and get on the podium.”
Canada is coming off a five-medal performance on the track. Road events continue through Sunday.
