Canadian track cyclist Mel Pemble narrowly missed the podium in the women’s C1-3 500-metre time trial on Saturday, finishing 0.3 seconds away from her first career Paralympic medal.
The 24-year-old from Victoria clocked a factored time of 38.610 seconds in the six-rider final at the National Velodrome in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, France.
Pemble started strong and never looked back while racing alone against the clock in the two-lap event, giving her the lead with three cyclists to go.
Germany’s Maike Hausberger followed Pemble and ultimately bested her for bronze, while Australia’s Amanda Reid and China’s Qian Wangwei captured gold and silver, respectively. Qian set a C1 world record with a finish time of 40.878.
Pemble sets C3 world record
Pemble set a world record earlier on Saturday with a blazing qualifying time of 38.512 in her Summer Games debut, advancing as the fourth-fastest rider among the field of 11.
Pemble, a former Paralympic alpine skier, broke the mark of 39.093 set by Australia’s Aniek van den Aarssen on the same track at the 2022 world championships.
Pemble posted an average speed of 46.739 kilometres an hour in her qualifying heat.
”She made sure she had an optimal environment for her training leading into the Games and she got the result she fully deserved,” said Canada’s Para cycling head coach Sébastien Travers.
The event combines the C1 to C3 classifications, with factored times determining the final standings.
Pemble, who was born with cerebral palsy, claimed silver in the same event at this year’s world championships in Rio de Janeiro last March. She is a two-time world champion in the women’s C3 omnium competition, despite only switching sports in 2020.
Pemble enjoyed a successful alpine skiing career that saw her reach the 2018 Paralympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
