Eight categories already have their new champions; agenda also included opening ceremony and start of Omnium and Scratch qualifying phase

The starting gun was fired this Wednesday (20) for the 2024 Para-Cycling Track World Championship at the Rio Velodrome. The most important event on the discipline’s calendar is also the last big chance to score points and secure a spot in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. At the end of the first day of competition, eight categories already have their new world champions.

During the morning, in addition to the qualifiers, the event’s Opening Ceremony also took place. The ceremony was attended by the Municipal Secretary of Sports of Rio de Janeiro, Guilherme Schleder; the National Secretary of Parasports of the Ministry of Sports, Fábio Augusto Lima de Araújo; the president of the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB), Mizael Conrado de Oliveira; the president of the Brazilian Cycling Confederation (CBC), José Luiz Vasconcellos; and the vice-president of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and president of the Pan-American Cycling Confederation (COPACI), José Manuel Pelaez.

At 23 years old, Frenchman Alexandre Léauté confirmed his favoritism and won the gold in the individual pursuit of the C2 men’s class for the third consecutive year. He is also the current Paralympic champion in this event and, in Tokyo, also won a silver and two bronzes. Winner of three out of four individual events in the category last year, including time trial and Omnium, he shared his recipe for success.

“The most important thing is the pleasure I have in being on the track, riding my bike with my team, and competing. The passion for the sport is what drives me, and that’s what I expect from these next days in Rio: to enjoy my time on the track. I’m not sure yet if I will qualify for the Paris Games, but I know that the world title helps me a lot in this attempt; in June, we’ll see,” he said. The silver in the competition went to Belgian Ewoud Vromant and the bronze to Japanese Shota Kawamoto.

Among the women, Chinese Xiaomei Wang is the new individual time trial champion in the C3 class. She surpassed Canadian Mel Pemble and Dutchwoman Aniek Van der Aarssen to take home her first gold medal in World Championships. Last year, in Glasgow, she won silver in the category. The storyline might even be a premonition for Paris: in Tokyo, she won silver in the individual pursuit. Now, she may have a new chance to reach the top of the podium.

“I’m very happy to win my first gold medal. I had three silvers and two bronzes in para-cycling; this is my first time at the top of the podium, and that’s very exciting. I would like to thank my team and the organization. It will be an honor if I have the opportunity to go to the Paralympic Games in Paris, and I will do my best to earn that spot,” she said.

Check out the medalists and the medal table at the end of the first day:

Day 1 Disputes (03/20):

Men’s Class 4 – 200m Flying Start (Omnium)

Top 3: Jody Cundy (GBR), Korey Boddington (AUS), and Bryan Larsen (USA)

Brazilians: Elielson Rodrigues (18th) and André Grizante (19th)

Mixed Tandem – Tandem Team Sprint (750m)

Medalists: Italy (Chiara Colombo and Elena Bissolati/Stefano Meroni and Francesco Ceci), Great Britain (Lora Fachie and Corrine Hall/Neil Fachie and Matthew Rotherham), and United States (Hannah Chadwick and Skyler Espinoza/Michael Stephens and Joe Christiansen)

Brazil: eighth place (Márcia Fanhani Gonçalves Ribeiro and Maria Tereza Muller/Bruno Bonfim dos Anjos and José Eriberto Medeiros Rodrigues Filho)

Women’s Class 5 – Time Trial (500m)

Medalists: Caroline Groot (NED), Marie Patouillet (FRA), and Nicole Murray (NZL)

Brazilians: Fabiana Ventura de Assis (9th) and Telma Aparecida Alves Bueno (13th)

Women’s Class 4 – Time Trial (500m)

Medalists: Kadeena Cox (GBR), Anna Grace Taylor (NZL), and Xiaouhi Li (CHN)

Women’s Class 3 – Time Trial (500m)

Medalists: Xiaomei Wang (CHN), Mel Pemble (CAN), and Aniek Van der Aarssen (NED)

Brazilians: Amanda Antunes de Paiva (8th)

Women’s Class 2 – Individual Pursuit (3km)

Medalists: Daphne Schrager (GBR), Flurina Rigling (SUI), and Dan Florez Munevar (COL)

Brazilians: Sabrina Custódia da Silva (5th) and Victoria Maria de Camargo e Barbosa (7th)

Women’s Class 1 – Individual Pursuit (3km)

Medalists: Wangwei Qian (CHN) and Katie Toft (GBR)

Men’s Class 1 – Individual Pursuit (3km)

Medalists: Zhangyu Li (CHN), Weicong Liang (CHN), and Keith Aron (USA)

Men’s Class 2 – Individual Pursuit (3km)

Medalists: Alexandre Leaute (FRA), Ewoud Vromant (BEL), and Shota Kawamoto (JPN)

Brazilians: Victor Luise de Oliveira Herling (10th)

Medal Table:

China – 5 medals (3 golds – 1 silver – 1 bronze);

Great Britain – 4 medals (2 golds – 2 silvers);

France – 2 medals (1 gold – 1 silver).

The 2024 Para-Cycling Track World Championship is organized by the Brazilian Cycling Confederation (CBC) and TBA Sports Management under the supervision of the International Cycling Union (UCI), with sponsorship from the Brazilian Paralympic Committee (CPB), Shimano, and the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Sports. Additionally, it is supported by Santini, the Municipal Government of Rio de Janeiro, and the Rio de Janeiro State Cycling Federation (FECIERJ).