Former swimmer Nathan Clement ready to renew Paralympic medal pursuit in road cycling

You never know where life will take you.

Just ask Nathan Clement, a Canadian athlete trying to get back to the Paralympics after transitioning from the pool to the pavement. A former swimmer who competed at the Rio Games in 2016, Clement is now winning medals as a road cyclist on the international stage.

After retiring from swimming in 2018, Clement was ready to leave the world of competitive sports behind him. But his passion for travel ultimately led to a 1,000-kilometre bike trek across his home province during the pandemic, a physical and mental challenge that brought back old feelings.

“As I was going through the ride and the journey, some competitive fires slowly started to emerge in me,” Clement told CBC Sports. “Jim Morris [formerly] of CBC Sports actually interviewed me a few days after my bike across B.C., and he asked me if I ever thought about competing again.

Clement said he is feeling rejuvenated in his new sport after rediscovering his love for elite competition. He reached the podium four times during his phenomenal rookie season last year, winning a pair of silver medals in his World Cup debut and at the world championships.

“Just being able to be back in that [competitive] environment again — especially going through the World Cup in Quebec City and then getting to go to Baie-Comeau for world championships — it really re-lit a spark that I thought was extinguished, and it came back in ferocity and force,” Clement said.

While Clement’s coaches knew the potential was there, becoming a world championship medallist in his first year was something else entirely. Team Canada’s lead Para cycling coach Sebastien Travers was amazed by the quick success, which continued this year on the World Cup circuit.

“It was quite amazing. We all knew Nathan’s potential was high, but to be able to put all the training that he has done over the course of roughly eight months into action in a race, this is something that the coaches don’t control,” Travers told CBC Sports.

The 28-year-old from West Vancouver is in Scotland this week for his second worlds as a cyclist, competing again in the T1 (tricyclist) time trial and road race events. Dawning the maple leaf means a lot to Clement, especially after it appeared those days were done for good.

“Getting to put on that Canadian jersey for the first time on a race day just brought back so many emotions and incredible feelings, let alone getting to cross that line and realize that you’re going to be on the podium wearing the maple leaf, something I had the privilege of only doing once in Para swimming.

Clement began swimming at age 15 to help regain mobility in his left side after suffering a stroke caused by chicken pox at age two. His career saw him win bronze in the 50-metre butterfly at the Parapan American Games before setting a Canadian record in the same event while finishing seventh at the Paralympics.

In need of a change

But burnout is an all too common reality for elite athletes, as seen recently with some of the best swimmers skipping worlds to focus on mental health. Clement felt a change was needed after spending years pursuing greatness in the pool.

“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,” Clement said.

Clement switched things up entirely. He found solace in travel, spending six months backpacking through Asia, Australia and Europe — an experience that changed everything.

“Travelling was that one thing that could just allow a little reset and a little refresh after being in that vacuum in a high-performance sport for so long.”

Along with his physical and mental strengths, Clement’s meteoric rise in cycling has also been a result of that renewed hunger. He has a tattoo commemorating the Rio Games, and now he dreams of making his Paralympic return next summer in Paris.

“It’s everything I think of; it’s a dream,” Clement said.

“When I am training on the bike, it’s like OK, be that hungry kid that you were, be that person that is trying to make the Games for the first time, to get that fire burning within.”

Clement will compete in the T1 individual time trial on Wednesday, followed by the T1 road race on Friday. Last year he was only bested by Italy’s Giorgio Farroni, a nine-time world champion and three-time Paralympic medallist.

‘Dedication and resiliency’

Travers credits Clement’s intangibles for making such a seamless transition, with a commitment and fortitude that separates him from the pack.

“He has the engine to win, but he also has the dedication and resiliency,” Travers said. “There’s not an ounce of energy that is left in his body, it’s all left on the asphalt.”

Clement is fuelled by an added appreciation for his new lease on life as one of Canada’s top Para athletes, a second chance to pursue a Paralympic medal.

He stays connected to his swimming roots by coaching kids, which also gives him a chance to impart the invaluable lessons his athletic journey has taught him.

“Don’t be afraid to take the risk; don’t be afraid to jump off the deep end here and there and just throw yourself into the fires a little bit,” Clement said.

“That’s one thing I really try to teach the kids that I coach.”