After last week’s memorable track cycling competitions at the Izu Velodrome, all eyes turned to the Fuji International Speedway for the first of four days of para-cycling road competitions in Tokyo. Nineteen time trial Paralympic Champions were crowned.
First up was the men’s C2 24km time trial where Australia’s Darren Hicks added to his men’s C2 3000m individual pursuit silver on the track with gold in 34:39.78. Belgium’s Ewoud Vromant, who was disqualified from the individual pursuit, enjoyed a degree of retribution with silver, while Alexandre Léauté (FRA) added bronze to his individual pursuit gold.
It was Groundhog Day in the women’s C5 24km time trial as Great Britain’s Dame Sarah Storey and Crystal Lane-Wright repeated their one-two from the C5 3000m individual pursuit, Storey’s 36:08.09 over one-and-a-half minutes ahead of her countrywoman. The victory saw her draw level with the swimmer Mike Kenny as the most successful British Paralympian of all time. The 43-year-old has a chance to eclipse that record in Thursday’s road race. Germany’s Kerstin Brachtendorf won bronze.
Shawn Morelli turned the tide on Australia’s Emily Petricola, winning the women’s C4 24km time trial in 39:33.79. Petricola had beaten the American to gold in Thursday’s 3000m individual pursuit. Australia’s Meg Lemon rode to bronze.
It was an incredibly close race in the men’s C1 16km time trial as the RPC’s Mikhail Astashov (24:53.37) beat American Aaron Keith by just 2secs. It was Astashov’s second gold of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games after obliterating the men’s C1 3000m individual pursuit world record on Thursday. Bronze went to German’s Michael Teuber.
There was much for the home nation to celebrate as Japan’s Keiko Sugiura won gold in the women’s C1-C3 16km time trial in 25:55.76. Sweden’s Anna Beck grabbed silver with Australia’s Paige taking bronze after her gold-winning performance in Wednesday’s C1-2-3 3000m individual pursuit.
It then proved a golden quarter of an hour for the Netherlands as Mitch Valize won the men’s H5 24km time trial in 38:12.94. France’s Loïc Vergnaud and Ireland’s Gary O’Reilly finished second and third, respectively. Valize was still warming down as the extraordinary Jetze Plat added to Sunday’s paratriathlon gold with a winning time of 37:28.92, over a minute ahead of Austria’s Thomas Fruehwirth. Fellow Austrian Alexander Gritsch won bronze.
Austria’s Walter Ablinger (43:39.17) edged out Germany’s Vico Merklein by less than 2secs for victory in the men’s H3 24km time trial. Spain’s Luis Miguel Garcia Marquina won bronze.
The USA’s Oksana Masters then delivered a stunning performance in the women’s H4-5 24km time trial to win her ninth Paralympic medal in 45:40.05. The result came just 100 days after surgery on one of her legs. China’s Sun Bianban finished second with the Netherlands’ Jennette Jansen in third.
In the men’s H2 16km time trial, Spain’s Sergio Garrote Munoz (31:23.53) beat Italy’s Luca Mazzone by a nail-biting slim margin of 0.26secs. France’s Florian Jouanny won bronze in 32:41.62. South Africa’s Nicolas Pieter du Preez then stormed to men’s H1 gold over 16km in 43:49.41. Italy’s Fabrizio Cornegliani won silver with Belgium’s Maxine Hordies grabbing bronze.
The women’s H3 16km time trial saw the versatile Annika Zeyen (GER) win gold in 32:46.97. Italy’s Francesco Porcellato and Poland’s Renata Kaluza recorded the second and third fastest times, respectively. Zeyen’s victory completed her sporting transition: she won wheelchair-basketball gold at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
Racing over 32km in the Men’s B time trial, France’s Alexandre Lloveras, piloted by Corentin Ermenault, rode to gold in a time of 41:54.02. Silver went to the Netherlands’ Vincent ter Schure and his pilot Timo Fransen. Spain’s Christian Balboa, piloted by Noel Martin Infante, won bronze.
Daniel Abraham Gebru won gold in the men’s C5 32km time trial in a time of 42:46.45, adding to the Paralympic gold he won in the 2016 C4-5 road race. The Ukraine’s Yehor Dementyev finished around 32secs down for silver, with Australia’s Alistair Donohoe claiming bronze.
Slovakia dominated the men’s C4 32km time trial with gold and silver: Patrik Kuril (45:47.10) followed by Jozef Metelka (46:05.05), adding to his bronze in Thursday’s C4 1000m time trial. Great Britain’s George Peasgood won bronze.
Great Britain’s Benjamin Watson followed soon after with the men’s C3 gold over 24km, recording a time of 35:00.82. German athletes Steffen Warias (2nd) and Matthias Schindler claimed the remaining podium spots.
Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Eve McCrystal put in a stunning display to win gold (47:32.07) in the women’s B 32km time trial, ahead of Lora Fachie and pilot Corinne Hall who won individual pursuit gold on the velodrome last week. Bronze went to Sweden’s Louise Jannering piloted by Anna Svaerdstroem in 49:36.06.
In the penultimate event of the day, China’s Jianxin Chen took gold in the men’s T1-T2 16km time trial, his time of 25:00.32 over 2mins clear of Italy’s Giorgio Farroni, with Belgium’s Tim Celen in third.
Over the same 16km course, the final event of the opening day of road cycling saw Germany’s Jana Majunke win gold in the women’s T1-T2 time trial in a time of 36:06.17. Australia’s Carol Cooke won silver, with Germany’s Angelika Dreock Kaeser taking bronze.
Six more gold medals will be awarded tomorrow (Wednesday 1st September) on the first day of road races.
C – Cyclist: conventional bike with some minor adaptations
T – Tricycle: three-wheeled bike
B – Blind: tandem
H – Handbike
Each group is divided into different sport classes depending on the severity of the handicap