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TEAM CANADA CLINCHES FOUR PARA-CYCLING MEDALS ON DAY 1 OF THE SANTIAGO 2023 PARAPAN AMERICAN GAMES

Santiago, CHE (Nov. 19, 2023) – Team Canada’s road para-cyclists set the bar high on the first day of racing at Calles de Isla de Maipo, CHE, at the Santiago 2023 Parapan American Games on Nov. 19, winning two gold medals and two bronze medals.

Alexandre Hayward, 26, of Quispamsis, NB, and Mike Sametz, 27, of Calgary, AB, won gold and bronze in the men’s C1-5 category under a blazing sun and motivated by a passionate Chilean crowd. Completing two laps of the 10km course, the maple leaf representatives clocked 26:21.14m and 27:25.14m, respectively. Brazil’s Lauro Cesar Moro completed the podium, finishing 44:92s behind Hayward.

“Mikey and I spent a week together in Bromont leading up to this,” said Hayward. “We’ve kind of been joking around that it would be nice to stand on the podium together and I think to do it on the first day is pretty special. This was a unique time trial. Usually when you leave the start-finish area the fans sort of die off a bit but they were all over the course, which made it a lot of fun.”


Alexandre Hayward
Photo Credit: Oscar Muñoz Badilla/Getty Images

In a mixed start that combined men and women in the T1-T2 categories, reigning World Champion Nathan Clement, 29, of West Vancouver, BC, and Paralympian Shelley Gautier, 55, of Niagara Falls, ON, left it all on the course. With a time of 15:44.73m, Clement came out on top, finishing 1:29m ahead of Dale Connors of the United States of America. Colombia’s Juan Betancourt took third place with a time of 17:46.71m while Gautier finished fifth with a time of 18:42.12m.“Being here, hearing the crowd of everyone here has been absolutely amazing,” said Clement. “The loud noise all throughout the course, even riding the course yesterday and seeing the mountains in the distance was absolutely breathtaking.”

National Team Coach Phil Abbott added, “We came here to test out a couple of things and see what Nathan could do, I think today’s been really exciting and there’s hopefully a bright future for the rest of the season as we lead into Paris and get prepared for that.”

Rio 2016 Paralympic medallist Charles Moreau, 41, of Victoriaville, QC, went on to claim bronze in the men’s H1-H5 category with his time of 31:46.65m, 27.60s behind winner Eric Ryan Pinney of the USA. They were joined on the podium by Brandon Lyons (+19.28s), also from the USA, with silver.

“Most of the time, I visualize race situations and I visualize the stronger runners I have ahead of me that I need to catch,” commented Moreau. “When it’s harder, I tend to think about the people at home. We spend a lot of time away from home, away from family, so often it’s an extra source of motivation, to tell yourself that you’re making sacrifices for them and it’s affecting them too, so you push even harder.”


Nathan Clement and Charles Moreau with their medals.
Photo Credit: Oscar Muñoz Badilla/Getty Images

In a strong ride, 29-year-old Paralympian Keely Shaw from Saskatoon, SK, finished in fourth place with a time of 15:34.08, just 0.6s behind the bronze medal won by Daniela Carolia Munevar, of Colombia. Gold and silver medals went to Samanta Bosco (15:08.01m) and Jamie Whitmore (15:29.13m), both from the USA. Mel Pemble, 23, from Victoria, BC, also took part in the event. She finished in seventh place, with a time of 16:55.52m.More information, including results and the full schedule of events, can be found at www.santiago2023.org. Competition for Team Canada’s para-cyclists continues Nov. 23 with track competition.

Note: Tarek Dahab (MC2), of Beloeil, QC, will no longer be competing at the Games due to health reasons.

NATHAN CLEMENT BECOMES WORLD CHAMPION AT 2023 UCI CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ottawa, ON (Aug. 9, 2023) – Paralympian Nathan Clement of West Vancouver, BC, nabbed his first-ever World Champion title in the Men T1 Individual Time Trial on Aug. 9 at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, GBR.

“This time trial was though,” said Clement, who finished second in both the time trial and road race in 2022. “It took some time to get going at the start of the race, but as it progressed, I was able to dial in and focus on the training I’ve worked on with my coach Phil Abbott. The win is still sinking in and the emotions haven’t caught yet. Getting to this World Championships was a journey. I am very thankful and appreciative of the incredible team of coaches and the support staff behind me.”

Clement rode at a speed of over 30km/hr to complete the 10.8km course in 18:50.35m. He was joined on the podium by Jianxin Chen (CHN) in the silver medal position and Rongfei Lu (CHN) in bronze.

Full results from the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships can be found here and daily highlights from the Canadian National Cycling Team can be found at https://cyclingcanada.ca/news.

Photo Credit: Richard Blaxall/SWpix.com 

MEL PEMBLE HOLDS ON TO OMNIUM CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE AT 2023 UCI CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ottawa, ON (Aug. 8, 2023) – 2022 World Champion Mel Pemble successfully secured the rainbow jersey for another year in the Women C3 Omnium on Aug. 8 at the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, GBR.

“I knew it was going to be a fight for this omnium and had to play my cards right,” said the Victoria, BC, native. “I had the omnium in the back of my mind with every decision I made in the scratch. Of course, I was still trying to defend the scratch title but it’s such a fun and unpredictable event that I’m still over the moon with the silver. I crossed the line and in that moment I was just so unbelievably happy to get that omnium title for another year.”

Pemble secured the championship after completing four events for a total of 154 points. She kicked off the multi-day competition with seventh in the Individual Pursuit on Aug. 3 before nabbing a first-place finish in the 200m Sprint on Aug. 4, followed by a bronze medal finish in the Time Trial on Aug. 7. On Aug. 8, Pemble brought home the silver medal in the Women C3 Scratch Race to ultimately clinch omnium gold.

Full results from the 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships can be found here and daily highlights from the Canadian National Cycling Team can be found at https://cyclingcanada.ca/news.

Aniek van den Aarssen (NED), Mel Pemble (CAN), Richael Timothy (IRE)
Photo Credit: Alex Whitehead/SWpix.com

TWO WORLD TITLES & ONE SILVER MEDAL FOR CANADA AT PARA CYCLING TRACK WORLDS

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France (October 24, 2022) – Team Canada concluded the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in France, with a total of two world titles, one silver medal and plenty of personal bests. Over the four days of competitions, newcomer to the national team, Mel Pemble made her name known after winning both rainbow jerseys at her first World Championships of her young career in both the Scratch Race and the Omnium in the women’s C3 category. Veteran and Paralympic and World Championships medallist added another medal to her impressive resume after taking the silver in the women’s C4 500-metre Time Trial.

“It’s an incredible performance for sure, I knew she [Pemble] had it in her,” commented Sébastien Travers, National Team Coach. “She’s got some experience on the track and we just tried to rehearse what she normally does at home and to execute the races – at our best capacities. She was at the right place at the right time and then just did a master effort at the end, which paid off.”

On the first day of competition, Pemble beat the world record in the 200-metre Sprint, taking the win in the first event of the Omnium competition. Her win in the Scratch Race, which also counted towards the overall in the Omnium allowed her to cumulate enough points to stand at the top of the standings. She ended the four events with a total of 150 points, just 2 points in front of Aniek Van den Aarsen from the Netherlands, ultimately winning the world title.

On the final day of racing, Pemble, O’Brien and Alexandre Hayward all capped off their racing schedules to take part in the Mixed Team Sprint event, where they raced their way to an 11th spot with a time of 57.311.

All results can be found here.

 PEMBLE WINS RAINBOW JERSEY AT PARA CYCLING WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France (October 21, 2022) – Mel Pemble is turning heads on day two of the 2022 Para Cycling Track World Championships claiming the rainbow jersey and Canada’s first gold medal of the week. Using the momentum of her World Record from day one in the 200-metre Sprint, she would ride to the top of the podium at her first World Championships of her career.

“This is so surreal,” commented Pemble after received her rainbow jersey. “This is a goal I had maybe in two years time, maybe next year. For it to happen at my first World Championships, made it quite the day. I was really nervous today, so I’m glad it paid off.”

With one lap to go, Pemble was standing in third place before she attacked to position herself at the front of the race, ultimately crossing the finish line in first place in front of Aniek Van den Aarssen from the Netherlands and Clara Brown from the United States.

Alexandre Hayward from Quispamsis, New Brunswick was also in action today at his first World Championships, where he raced a personal best in the Men’s C3 Individual Pursuit with a time of 1:14.908. He did not advance to next round but finished with a 5th position.

With only two days of racing, Canadian athletes are getting ready for the next races, with Pemble hoping to grab more points in the Omnium, where she currently stands in first position. All results can be found here and a livestream is available here.

SILVER MEDAL & WORLD RECORD AT THE FIRST DAY OF THE PARA CYCLING TRACK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France (October 20, 2022) – Canada opened the 2022 UCI Para-Cycling Track World Championships on Thursday with a silver medal by former World Champion and Paralympic medallist, Kate O’Brien, in the women’s C4 500-metre Time Trial. Meanwhile, British Columbia’s Mel Pemble opened up her World Championship debut with a World Record in the women’s C3 200-metre Sprint.

” Coming in as World Champion, I obviously wanted to defend the title,” said O’Brien. ” I had my first crash since 2017 on the track last week and I also had to recover from COVID. Up until yesterday, it was not even certain if I would race, so I am super grateful to be here today and to have the support from everyone”

After qualifying in second position, O’Brien would race the 500-metre final with a time of 37.344, only 1.683 seconds behind Kadeena Cox from Great Britain. Holding the World Record in the event, O’Brien had previously won the silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics Games. This will be the only individual race for O’Brien over the week.

Coming off two Canadian records earlier in the season, Pemble started off her race schedule with a World Record in the 200-metre Sprint as part of the Omnium event in the time of 6.179 seconds. She would then race in the 500-metre Time Trial where she was shy of a podium finish to come in fourth place.

“It was so unexpected,” commented Pemble after her race, “It was my main event coming in, so to be able to perform today and have such an amazing debut makes me really proud. I still can’t believe that I am a World Record holder.”

Canadian athletes still have three days of racing at the Para Track World Championships, at the Vélodrome National de St-Quentin-en-Yvelines which will play host to the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. A livestream is available here and all resultats can be found on the UCI’s website.

FOUR ATHLETES TO REPRESENT CANADA AT THE PARA TRACK WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ottawa, ON (October 11, 2022) – Following a successful summer on the road with numerous breakout performances, the National Team will now shift its focus to the UCI Para Track World Championships in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France on October 20 – 23.

The team will include two Tokyo 2020 Paralympic medallists, as well as two newcomers who will be making their debut on the Para Track world stage. Former World Champion and Paralympic silver medallist, Kate O’Brien will be leading the team in the C4 category, along with Paralympic bronze medallist Keely Shaw, who just ended a stellar road season, landing on the podium at every race she entered.

Making her World Championships debut is Mel Pemble, who recently set two new national records at this years’ Track National Championships. She will be joined by newcomer Alexandre Hayward who will be competing for the first time on the track, after he proved his strength in WC3 and at the Para Road World Championships.

“I am so incredibly excited to be selected to compete at Track Worlds,” said Mel Pemble. “It has been my main goal of this season, I am especially eager to see what I can do since this is the first time I’ll be part of the World Championships”

Racing will begin on Thursday, October 20 with the 200m sprint and will go on until October 23. Full results will be available here. A livestream will be available through the Canadian Paralympic Committee, more details coming soon.

Team Canada
Alexandre Hayward – C3 – Quispamsis, NB
Mel Pemble – C3 – Victoria, BC
Keely Shaw – C4 – Midale, SK
Kate O’Brien – C4 – Calgary, AB

THREE MORE MEDALS FOR CANADA AT THE PARA CYCLING ROAD WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Baie-Comeau, QC (August 14, 2022) – Team Canada concluded the 2022 UCI Para-cycling Road World Championships in Baie-Comeau, Québec, with a total of seven medals. Over the four days of competition, Canadian athletes won two bronze medals and two silver bronze medals in the Time Trial and went on to win one more silver medal and two more bronze medals in the Road Race.

Nathan Clement and Keely Shaw kicked off the first days of racing by finishing second and third in the Time Trial in the T1 and C4 categories and went on to double their medal count in the Road Race, winning once again silver and bronze. On Saturday, Joey Desjardins surprised the field and came off with a third-place finish in the Road Race, earning the first World Championships medal of his career in the H3 category.

“It was a great week for us,” said Sebastien Travers, Para Head Coach for Cycling Canada. “We won more medals than expected. We got some great performances from newcomers and our veterans were able to deliver the goods. We are where we want to be, two years from the Paris Paralympics.”

With all three rounds of the Para Cycling Road World Cups and the Para Cycling Road World Championships over, athletes will now be heading to the Para Cycling Track World Championships later this fall, where they will get to test out the venue for the Paris 2024 Paralympics. Full results can be found here.

CANADA WINS FOUR MEDALS ON OPENING DAYS OF PARA ROAD WORLDS

Baie-Comeau, QC (August 12, 2022) – Canada opened up the 2022 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Baie-Comeau, winning four medals in the first two days of competition. Nathan Clement (T1) and Shelley Gautier (T1) won the first two medals for the team earning silver and bronze; while Paralympian Charles Moreau (H3) earned a career-best taking silver on day one. Tokyo 2020 Paralympic medallist, Keely Shaw (C4), would take bronze on day two.

“I’m really happy with the race,” Clement told the Canadian Paralympic Committee. “There’s still a lot of things I need to learn as an athlete and cyclist, but overall way ahead from where I expected to be in this sport at this time.”

Other notable finishes include Marie-Claude Molnar, who earlier this year recently announced she would be stepping away from racing. As she entered her last World Championships, she looked towards another podium finish to wrap up her career but came short in the women’s Time Trial to finish fifth.

“I can’t say that I’ll do better next time, because there won’t be a next time,” Molnar told Sportcom. “I wanted to feel like I gave it my all and I can tick that box. I had a good speed, an efficient technique, I was breathing well. Everything went according to plan.”

Matthew Kinnie also had a strong showing finished 4th in the Men’s H2 category, while Kara Douville finished in 6th place in the Women’s H3 category. Competition continues Saturday and Sunday with the road race events, with all races livestreamed here.

CANADIAN PARA SQUAD BACK ON HOME SOIL FOR THE UCI WORLD CUP & THE UCI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

Ottawa, ON (July 29, 2022) – After two rounds of the Para-cycling World Cup in Europe that saw athletes bring home medals, the squad is now heading back home for the last World Cup of the season in Quebec City, QC on August 4-7, before heading to Baie-Comeau, QC for the UCI World Championships taking place on August 12-15.

With a total of 10 medals earned during this year’s World Cup season, Canadian athletes are looking forward to racing on home soil and in front of a home crowd to showcase their talent. Leading the team will be Paralympic & World Cup medallists Charles Moreau, Matthew Kinnie, Marie-Claude Molnar, Keely Shaw and Shelley Gautier. Joining the squad are fellow Paralympians, Joey Desjardins and Alex Hyndman.

“We’re really excited for our athletes to race on home soil and race in front of a home crowd” said Emily O’Connor, Director of High-Performance Operations at Cycling Canada. “Some of our athletes attended the Paralympic Games last year and their families couldn’t witness their talent because of the restrictions, so for our athletes to have that support at home just makes it that more special.”

A total of 19 Canadian athletes are set to take part in the World Cup, with 14 of them also being part of the World Championships team.

World Cup racing will begin on Thursday August 4th with the Time Trial event, while the World Championships races will start on Thursday August 11th for four days of competitions. Full results for the World Cup will be posted here and a livestream of the World Championships will be available, details coming soon.

Team Canada

Louis Albert Corriveau Jolin – T2 – Sainte-Claire, QC
Nathan Clement – T1-2 – Vancouver, BC*
Joey Desjardins – H3 – Hawkesbury, ON
Kara Douville – H4 – Calgary, AB
Thuy Do – T2 – Ottawa, ON*
Shelley Gautier – T1 – Toronto, ON
Alexandre Hayward – C2 – Quispamsis, NB
Alex Hyndman – H3 – Morpeth, ON
Matthew Kinnie – H2 – Riverview, NB
Benoit Lalumière Cloutier (pilot: Maximilien Moreau) – Tandem – Montréal, QC*
Marie-Claude Molnar – C4 – Longueuil, QC
Charles Moreau – H3 – Victoriaville, QC
Mel Pemble – C3 – Victoria, BC*
Keely Shaw – C4 – Midale, SK
Carla Shibley (pilot: Meghan Brown) – Tandem – Calgary, AB
Lowell Taylor (pilot: Benoît Lussier) – Tandem – Lethbridge, AB

* Only attending the World Cup