Day two of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games saw the world’s greatest para-cyclists compete for five gold medals with the quintet of victors coming from Spain, RPC, France, Great Britain and, starting things off, the Netherlands…
WB 1000m time trial: Klaassen, the class act
The WB 1000m time trial was a case of “if at first you don’t succeed, try again” for the Netherlands’ Larissa Klaassen who went one better than her silver from the Rio 2016 Paralympics with a gold-medal-winning performance. In Brazil, Klaassen was piloted by Haliegh Dolman. In Tokyo, the 27-year-old was paired with Imke Bropmmer. The Dutch duo looked strong and fluid as they posted a personal best time of 1:05.291 – nearly a second-and-a-half ahead of Great Britain’s Aileen McGlynn, piloted by Helen Scott, and 2.652secs ahead of bronze medallist Griet Hoet (BEL) and pilot Anneleen Monsieur.
For the Netherlands, it was the second track cycling gold medal of the Paralympic Games after Tristan Bangma and pilot Patrick Bos won the 4km pursuit title on day one. Special mention goes to Great Britain after securing three of the top-five spots with Lora Fachie and pilot Corrine Hall in fourth and Sophie Unwin and pilot Jenny Holl in fifth.
Twenty-seven-year-old Alfonso Cabello Llamas won Spain’s first gold at the Izu velodrome in the men’s C4 1000m time trial thanks to an incredible time of 1:01.557 – a new world record. Great Britain’s Jody Cundy won silver, becoming the first male British Paralympian to medal at seven Games, with Slovakia’s Jozef Metelka in third.
Metelka led with just two riders to go in a time of 1:05.500. Unfortunately for the Slovak, those two riders were Cabello Llamas and Cundy. Cundy was up first, recording a personal best time of 1:02.529. Could he retain the title he won in Rio? The answer arrived swiftly, the Spaniard edging ahead of Cundy with every lap before storming the final lap to secure that new world record. Cabello Llamas’ immense effort added to the C4 1000m gold he won at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.
The qualifying round of the men’s C1 3000m individual pursuit proved to be one of the most memorable in Paralympic history as the RPC’s Mikhail Astashov obliterated the competition with a time of 3:35.954 at an average speed of over 50km/hr. The time was nearly 10secs under the existing world record (3:45.469) set by China’s Zhangyu Li at the 2020 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Milton (Canada). Incredibly, four more riders dipped under Li’s 2020 time: Canadian Tristen Chernove (3:40.591), Li himself (3:41.164), Spain’s Ricardo Ten Argiles (3:42.795) and American Aaron Keith (3:45.354).
It meant Li and Ten Argiles lined up in the race for bronze, and it was former world record-holder Li who took the honours, breaking the 3:40min mark in 3:39.273. Then it was onto the final. Chernove, 47, had the experience to draw on with three medals, including gold, from the 2016 Rio Paralympics. But it wasn’t enough as Astashov – former para-triathlon World Champion - flew from the starting gate and lapped Chernove for gold.
In the men’s C2 3000m individual pursuit, France’s Alexandre Leaute rode into the final thanks to a stunning world record of 3:31.817, nearly 5secs better than the existing mark set by Belgium’s Ewoud Vromant. Vromant answered by posting a new world record himself of 3:30.290. Twenty-year-old Leaute, who comes from the Breton region of France, told reporters after qualifying: “It’s a good start but my opponent also had a great one. In the final, we’ll have to get him; we’ll have to be very strong in the head.”
As it transpired, Leaute would be very strong in the head and body but against Australia’s Darren Hicks, not Vromant after the Belgian was disqualified. It meant Leaute lined up as pre-final favourite and he justified that label by lowering his world record to 3:31.478. Hicks won silver in 3:35.064 while China’s Guihua Liang won bronze.
The fifth and final event of the day came down to a battle of the Britons as Jaco van Gass and Finlay Graham qualified first and second, respectively, in the men’s C3 3000m category. In the process, Van Gass broke the world record in a time of 3:17.593.
Come the final, Van Gass always held the lead but Graham dug deep and, for the majority of the race, that lead never stretched beyond the second mark. It was only over the last lap that former-soldier Van Gass, who lost his left arm at the elbow in Afghanistan, looked certain for gold, winning in 3:20.987. Graham won silver in 3:22.000. Australia’s David Nicholas beat Spain’s Eduardo Santas Asensio to bronze.
Another five gold medals will be awarded on day three (Friday 27 August), starting with the women’s C1-C3 500m time trial.
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