Athlete of the Week: Tristen Chernove, 2016 Paralympic gold medalist
Karin Larsen | CBC News | Posted: September 10, 2016 7:00 PM | Last Updated: September 16, 2016
Cranbrook paralympian says a lifetime of physical fitness helped him find instant success in para-cycling
NAME: Tristen Chernove
AGE: 41
HOMETOWN: Cranbrook
BORN: Powell River
SPORT: Cycling
ACHIEVEMENTS:
- 2016 Paralympic gold medalist C2 road time trial
- 2016 Paralympic silver medalist C2 3000m individual pursuit
- 2016 Paralympic bronze medalist C2 1000m time trial
- 2X 2016 World Champion, individual pursuit and 1000m time trial
DAY JOB: Manager and Operator, Canadian Rockies International Airport
STORY: Chernove is a former competitive paddler who took up bike racing after being diagnosed with Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, a degenerative condition of the lower legs with symptoms similar to muscular dystrophy.
He chose cycling as a way to test the physical limits of his body after his diagnosis.
The father of two says a lifetime of fitness helped him make a quick and successful transition to the sport.
Chernove burst on to the para-cycling scene in January 2016, winning two gold medals in his Canadian track cycling debut.
In 2001 he suffered a broken back while in Mexico. Chernove was thrown through the windshield of a bus he was traveling on when it crashed down a river bank.