World records tumble again at UCI Para-cycling Track Worlds

Penultimate day of action in Rio

The fourth and penultimate day of competition at the 2024 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, delivered excitement, including strength and guile from the Chinese women….

The WC4 10km scratch race was won by China’s Xiaohui Li, with Australia’s Emily Petricola 2nd and Switzerland’s Franziska Matile-Dörig in 3rd. In the final of the WC3 Omnium 200m flying start, China’s Xiaomei Wang won in a new world record time of 12.506-sec (57.572km/h) ahead of reigning omnium UCI World Champion Canada’s Mel Pemble and the Netherlands’ Aniek van den Aarssen. The WC3 10km scratch race saw the unstoppable Wang win again, from Daniela Paula Caballeros Perez and Van den Aarssen.

MB 4km individual pursuit: bang bang Bangma

In the gold medal race, the Netherlands’ world record holder Tristan Bangma and pilot Patrick Bos took on Great Britain’s Stephen Bate and pilot Christopher Latham. It was Bangma and Bos who had the momentum, closing in and claiming the gold, with a new world record to boot!

The bronze medal race saw Italy’s Lorenzo Bernard and pilot Davide Plebani take on Great Britain’s Chris McDonald and pilot Adam Duggleby, with the Italians setting a 1-sec lead at the halfway mark then pulling away to win in style.

WB 3km individual pursuit: Jordan leads British 1-2

It was an all-British affair in the final, with Elizabeth Jordan and pilot Dannielle Kahn facing the more experienced Sophie Unwin and Jenny Holl. Jordan and Kahn got off well, and increased the gap to win by 1.3-sec from their compatriots.

In the bronze medal race, Poland’s Otylia Marczuk and her pilot Ewa Bańkowska took on Ireland’s Katie-George Dunlevy and pilot Evelyn McCrystal. Ireland held a narrow lead until the penultimate lap when the Poles powered through for the podium spot.

MC5 1km time trial: Hunt catches his prey

Twenty-nine riders representing 20 nations faced the four-lap challenge. Belgium’s Niels Verschaeren was fastest until Spain’s Alfonso Cabello Llamas lit up every sector and took more than 1-sec off his time (1:03.823). Then the last rider, Britain’s multiple UCI World Champion Blaine Hunt took to the track to win in 1:03.475, an average speed of 56.714km/h.

MC4 1km time trial: Cundy keeps top spot

Australia’s Michael Shipley held the best time with 1:05.540, then the third fastest qualifier, Great Britain’s Archie Atkinson, came in just behind him. Next up, Atkinson’s compatriot, the world record holder, Paralympic Champion and multiple UCI World Champion Jody Cundy, went quickest with 1:04.120. It just left another Australian, the fastest qualifier Korey Boddington, to decide the order of the medals. Pushing a big gear, his start wasn’t the quickest but he wound it up… yet still couldn’t match Cundy who retained his rainbow jersey. Boddington pipped Shipley for silver.

MC3 1km time trial: brilliant Briggs breaks another record

In the morning’s qualifier, Devon Briggs (NZL) beat the world record with a time of 1:05.357 but remained level-headed about the final: “The plan is just to go out and ride as hard as we can and whatever will be will be!”

Australia’s David Nicholas put down a mark with 1:09.169 before Great Britain’s Finlay Graham took nearly 2 seconds out of it, with just two riders remaining. Graham’s compatriot Jaco van Gass chopped almost another second off, before Briggs hit the track… The Kiwi took the gold medal, the rainbow jersey and another world record - in 1:05.259 (55.082km/h) – after that he established in the 200m flying start on the second day of competition.

MC2 1km time trial: Léauté, the world’s fastest

Britain’s Matthew Robertson went 3.8 seconds faster than Ireland’s Chris Burns before Shota Kawamoto of Japan took the provisional top spot. Then Australia’s Gordon Allan went quicker still at 1:10.784, leaving just the defending UCI World Champion Alexandre Léauté to go. The 23-year-old Frenchman went fastest at every split to record 1:08.358, a speed of 52.663km/h and another new world record!

MC1 1km time trial: Chinese riders power to an impressive 1-2

The USA’s Aaron Keith saw his fastest time go first to Ricardo Ten Argiles (ESP) then Mohamad Yusof Hafizi Shaharuddin (MAS) with 1:15.572. There were just two riders left to go – both Chinese.

Rio 2016 Paralympic gold medalist Weicong Liang went quickest before world record holder and Tokyo 2020 Paralympic gold medalist, Zhangyu Li showed why he’s the best right now, posting 1:10.60, 50.985km/h for another Chinese rainbow jersey!

Sunday is the final day of the 2024 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships with eight more rainbow jerseys to be awarded, plus an exhibition of the exciting elimination race.

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.