Quick facts
Birthdate
May 21, 1996
Hometown
Calgary, AB
Residence
Calgary, AB
Sport
Para cycling
Experience
Rio 2016
Santiago 2023
Toronto 2015
Paris 2024
Two-time world champion Michael Sametz returned in 2023 after four seasons out of the sport with a bronze medal in the C3 17 kilometre road time trial at ICU Cycling World Championships in Glasgow, Scotland. Sametz made an incredible comeback in the second half of the race to reach the podium.
That was only his third race since coming back from illness and injury which kept him out of notably the Tokyo Paralympics as well as the three previous world road championships. He concluded 2023 with a time trial bronze at the Parapan American Games.
Sametz fought a lengthy battle and eventually recovered from RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport). RED-S is a condition characterized by insufficient energy intake to meet the body’s demands during exercise.
In 2019, he was unable to defend his title in the individual time trial at the 2019 World Championships in Para cycling due to an injury suffered in an early season crash which affected him most of the season.
Sametz earned his first career world crown in 2017 with a victory in the time trial at the World Road Championships.
He successfully defended his world title in 2018. A year earlier at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, he notched a bronze medal in the same event along with a fourth and a sixth.
In May 2016, he continued his time trial success with a bronze medal at the Ostend (BEL) World Cup. His accomplishments in 2015 included defending his national titles in the road race and time trial, winning the silver medal in the individual pursuit at the Toronto 2015 Parapan Am Games and winning his first ever World Cup medal.
Sametz was involved in many sports, including cycling, as a youngster and started to seriously pursue Para cycling at age 14. He was introduced to the sport by Stephen Burke from the Calgary Cycling Centre.
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
2016 Paralympic Games… 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2023 World Championships… 2015, 2023 Parapan American Games…
PERSONAL
Intern with the Paralympic Foundation of Canada – the philanthropic arm of the Canadian Paralympic Committee… Born with right hemiplegic cerebral palsy
NOTABLE INTERNATIONAL RESULTS
2023 Parapan American Games, time trial, 3rd
2023 Parapan American Games, road race, 6th
2023 World Road Championships, time trial 3rd
2023 World Road Championships, road race, 7th
2018 World Road Championships, time trial 1st
2018 World Cup (Baie-Comeau, CAN), time trial 1st
2018 World Cup (Emmen, NED), time trial 1st
2018 World Cup (Ostend, BEL), time trial, 1st
2017 World Road Championships, time trial, 1st
2016 Paralympic Games, time trial 3rd
2016 Paralympic Games, individual pursuit, 4th
2015 Pan American Games, ind. pursuit (track) 2nd
2014 World Championships, road race 10th
2014 World Championships, time trial 5th
Paralympic Medals
1