It was an outstanding Paralympic debut for Para cyclist Kate O’Brien at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
O’Brien, a Rio 2016 Olympian, raced to silver in the women’s C4-5 500m time trial in track cycling. The winner, Kadeena Cox of Great Britain, broke O’Brien’s world record from January 2020 to claim top spot on the podium in 34.812 seconds. O’Brien was just behind in 35.830.
“It was a huge surprise, and I’m so grateful. Having been to the Olympics and been to the Paralympics now, the Paralympics was one of the best events of my entire life,” said O’Brien reflecting back on her experience and winning Best Paralympic Debut by a Female Athlete. “The team and all of the countries, I don’t think I’ve ever felt such a family of everyone legitimately coming together; it was the first time I felt that in sport for a long time, especially between nations.”
A year-and-a-half earlier, O’Brien had burst onto the international Para cycling scene with a world record and world title in the 500m time trial. Her performance in Tokyo was a continuation of that success and showed she is an athlete to watch for years to come.
Tokyo 2020 Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards
Best Paralympic Debut by a Female Athlete – Kate O’Brien
Best Paralympic Debut by a Male Athlete – To be announced
Best Team Performance – To be announced
Best Male Athlete – To be announced
Best Female Athlete – To be announced
The Canadian Paralympic Sport Awards recognize outstanding athlete and team performances at the Paralympic Games. For more information visit Paralympic.ca/Sport-Awards.
