Canada's Clement, Gautier each win 2nd medal at Para road cycling worlds
CBC Sports | Posted: August 11, 2023 2:49 PM | Last Updated: August 11, 2023
Canadian medal count now sits at 6 through 3 days of Scotland event
A pair of Canadians doubled up at the Para road cycling world championships on Friday in Dumfries, Scotland.
Nathan Clement and Shelley Gautier each claimed bronze medals in road races, the second podium appearance for each at the event.
Clement, who previously won gold in the men's T1 time trial, took third place in the lengthy 31.2-kilometre road race, falling just 0.14 seconds shy of silver medallist Jianxin Chen of China. Fellow Chinese cyclist Rongfei Lu won gold nearly eight seconds in the clear.
That trio also shared the podium in the road race on Wednesday.
"It's an incredible feeling," Clement said. "It's been a long journey to get to this point. To be able to walk away from these world championships going up against some amazing riders and to get a gold and a bronze is just an honour."
The 28-year-old Clement, of West Vancouver, B.C., is aiming to compete at his second Paralympics in Paris next summer after racing in the pool for Canada at Rio 2016.
He said he's still learning about his new sport through elite competitions like worlds.
"There was a lot of gamesmanship going on," he said. "I'm still new to the sport so I'm still trying to earn that respect in the ranks. Some of the emotions got pretty heated but I was able to pull away with six kilometres to go."
Gautier now has two bronze medals after she also took third place in the women's T1 time trial. On Friday, the 54-year-old Canadian crossed the finish line 12 minutes 59 seconds behind gold medallist Pavlina Vejvodova of the Czech Republic. England's Eltje Malzbender took silver.
"It was tough," Gautier said. "I was focusing on my legs, to get my feet moving and keep them moving. I said to myself, 'Pedal to the metal and stay focused,' and that's what I did. You can see that with my result."
Gautier, of Niagara Falls, Ont., is a three-time Paralympian and 18-time world champion across the road race and time trial dating back to 2009.
Canada now has six medals at the road cycling worlds after earning five medals at the track worlds.
Action from Dumfries continues through Sunday.