Canada’s Mel Pemble breaks world record in 500m time trial at Paralympic Games

PARIS – Mel Pemble of Victoria broke the world record in the women’s C3 500m time trial in Para cycling action Saturday morning at the Paralympic Games.

The 2018 Winter Paralympian in Para alpine skiing was making her summer Games debut.

Racing alone against the clock at the Saint-Quentin-En- Yvelines Velodrome, Pemble clocked 38.512 seconds with an average speed of 46.739 kilometres an hour. Aniek Van Den Aarssen of Australia held the previous mark of 39.093 set at the same venue in 2022.

‘’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. ‘’

Pemble’s event at the Games combines the C-1 to C-3 classes and she is ranked fourth heading into the final later Saturday afternoon. Amanda Reid of Australia, a C2 rider, is  ranked first, Wangwei Qian of China  (C1) second and Maike Hausberger of Germany (C2) third.

Travers expects a very close battle for the medals.

‘’All six women in the final are very strong and competitive.’’ he said. ‘’For our athletes we are looking for personal bests. If Mel beats her world record, then the results should follow.’’

Qian’s time was also a world record for her C1 category.

Six riders advanced out of 11 entries. The final is at 1:35 p.m. local (7:35 a.m. ET)