Canadian track cyclist Mel Pemble misses Paralympic podium by 0.3 seconds in C1-3 500m time trial
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Canadian track cyclist Mel Pemble narrowly missed the podium in the women’s C1-3 500-metre time trial on Saturday, finishing 0.3 seconds away from her first career Paralympic medal.
The 24-year-old from Victoria clocked a factored time of 38.610 seconds in the six-rider final at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.
Pemble started strong and never looked back while racing alone against the clock in the two-lap event, giving her the lead with three cyclists to go.
Germany’s Maike Hausberger followed Pemble and ultimately bested her for bronze, while Australia’s Amanda Reid and China’s Qian Wangwei captured gold and silver, respectively. Qian set a C1 world record with a finish time of 40.878.
Pemble sets C3 world record
Pemble set a C3 world record earlier on Saturday with a blazing qualifying time of 38.512 in her Summer Games debut, advancing as the fourth-fastest rider among the field of 11.
Pemble, a former Paralympic alpine skier, broke the mark of 39.093 set by Australia’s Aniek van den Aarssen on the same track at the 2022 world championships.
Pemble posted an average speed of 46.739 kilometres an hour in her qualifying heat.
WATCH l Pemble pedals to world record:
Mel Pemble of Victoria clocked a time of 38.512 seconds in the qualifying stage, to break the world record for the women’s C3 500-metre time trial at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Pemble would go on to finish fourth in the final.
”She made sure she had an optimal environment for her training leading into the Games and she got the result she fully deserved,” said Canada’s Para cycling head coach Sébastien Travers.
The event combines the C1 to C3 classifications, with factored times determining the final standings.
Pemble, who was born with cerebral palsy, claimed silver in the same event at this year’s world championships in Rio de Janeiro last March. She is a two-time world champion in the women’s C3 omnium competition, despite only switching sports in 2020.
Pemble enjoyed a successful alpine skiing career that saw her reach the 2018 Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
Bennett, Routliffe, Dorris qualify for swimming finals
Three Canadian Paralympic swimmers will compete for medals later on Saturday after qualifying earlier in the day at Paris La Défense Arena.
Reigning world champion Nicholas Bennett secured his place in the men’s 200m freestyle S14 medal race with the top qualifying time of the day (1:54.72).
The 20-year-old from Parksville, B.C., will go for gold at 11:44 a.m. ET, with live coverage available on CBC Gem, the Paris 2024 website and the Paris 2024 mobile app for Android and iOS devices.
Bennett made his Paralympic debut in Tokyo, finishing sixth in the final.
Tess Routliffe and Danielle Dorris both booked spots in the women’s SM7 individual medley final, finishing first and second in the final heat with times of 2:59.06 and 3:02.55, respectively. The final is set for 2:10 p.m. ET.
The 25-year-old Routliffe, who originally hails from Auckland, New Zealand, claimed silver in the event at the 2016 Games in Rio.
Dorris, a 21-year-old from Moncton, N.B., is the defending Paralympic gold medallist and world-record holder in the SM7 butterfly event, which kicks off Sept. 7.
