China and Britain impress on first day of 2024 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships

The Azzurri have it

The 2024 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships got under way on 20 March in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 250m track at the Barra Olympic and Paralympic Park. With 39 countries represented – a record for the UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships – competition was fierce and day one saw the first eight finals settled and medals awarded.

750m B Tandem team sprint: the Azzurri have it

Italy and Great Britain went head-to head for the gold medal in a repeat of 2023’s final. But the result was different this year as the Blues brought home a 0.375-sec advantage over their British rivals.

The United States pipped the Malaysians for bronze, who missed out on a podium position this year. France, Poland, Argentina and Brazil completed the top eight.

WC5 500m time trial: Groot’s incredible 6th

The third rider to go, Nicole Murray (NZL) set the mark and put herself into the medals. Would it be better than her bronze from last year? The Kiwi was followed by three-time and reigning silver medalist Marie Patouillet (FRA), who went clear, securing silver or gold. With the last rider to go, reigning and multiple UCI World Champion Caroline Groot (NED) went almost 0.9-sec quicker, at 49.207km/h, to repeat her victory on this track in 2018 and earn an incredible sixth consecutive gold medal in this event and take the rainbow jersey.

WC4 500m time trial: Cox smashes it

Canada’s Kate O'Brien – Tokyo Paralympics silver medalist – set an early fast time, which was surpassed by Anna Taylor (NZL), bronze at the 2022 UCI World Championships. Then China’s Xiaohui Li slotted in between them with just two riders to go.

Erin Normoyle (AUS) took provisional third place, until all eyes were on reigning and multiple UCI World Champion Kadeena Cox. The Briton smashed out the tempo, averaging 49.079km/h to cross the line almost 2-sec faster than the rest of the field in the two-lap race to secure her 4th rainbow jersey.

WC3 500m time trial: Wang unmatchable

China’s Xiaomei Wang set an impressive time of 39.480 (45.592km/h) that Mel Pemble could not quite reach, and the Canadian settled for silver. But then no-one else could match Wang, not 2022 UCI World Champion Aniek van den Aarssen (NED) who took bronze, nor 53-year-old 2023 UCI World Champion Keiko Sugiura (JPN), who just missed the 2024 podium.

WC2 3km individual pursuit: Schrager holds on

Great Britain’s Amelia Cass and Colombia’s Dan Munevar Florez went head-to head for the bronze medal. The Colombian rider took an early advantage, extended it and, despite a fight back from Cass, the 2022 bronze medalist held the gap to 0.9-sec to take another bronze.

The gold medal race was a repeat of the 2023 line-up: Flurina Rigling (SUI) versus Daphne Schrager (GBR). This time the British rider pushed the pace, taking a 2.2-sec lead at the halfway stage. The Swiss fought back hard but the former international sprinter Schrager held on to win by 0.33-sec.

WC1 3km individual pursuit: Wangwei’s masterclass

It was 2023 UCI World Championships silver medalist Qian Wangwei from China, against Great Britain’s Katie Toft, the 2022 UCI World Champion. And the Chinese athlete put on a powerful display, to catch her rival near the halfway distance. An impressive performance to claim the rainbow jersey.

MC1 3km individual pursuit: 1-2 for China

The highly decorated para-cyclist and swimmer, Ricardo Ten Argilés (ESP) went head-to-head with Aaron Keith for the bronze medal, and it was the American who proved strongest to take the podium place.

Then it was an all-Chinese match-up for the gold. Zhangyu Li got the better of Weicong Liang, almost catching him as they approached the 3000m mark.

MC2 3km individual pursuit: Léauté the merciless

In the MC2 individual pursuit, the bronze medal was fought out between Great

Britain’s Matthew Robertson and Shota Kawamoto of Japan, with the latter putting on all the pressure to take the podium place with a 6-sec advantage.

The gold medal match was between Alexandre Léauté of France and Belgium’s Ewoud Vromant. The Frenchman, multiple track and road UCI World Champion and 2020 Paralympic Champion pushed a big advantage early and caught his rival with almost two laps remaining.

There’s lots more action to come on the following four days of competition. Thursday’s focus will be on the omnium, with the flying start 200m in the WC4, MC3, MC2 and MC1 sport classes. Then there are the finals of the MC5 and MC4 4km individual pursuit; WC2 and WC1 500m time trial and WB 1km time trial.

Para-cycling sport classes for para-cycling track

  • C – Cycle: conventional bike with adaptations if necessary

  • B – Tandem: for visually impaired athletes with sighted pilot

Group C is divided into different sport classes, with the lower the number indicating a higher level of impairment.