Keely Shaw and Mike Sametz race to bronze at UCI Cycling World Championships

DUMFRIES, Scotland – In the first and last races of the day, Mike Sametz of Calgary and Keely Shaw of Midale, Sask. won bronze medals Thursday in the Para road race time trials at the UCI Cycling World Championships.

After two days of road races, Canada has four medals. The team started the worlds earlier this week on the track with five podium appearances.

In the opening men’s C3 17 kilometre time trial, Sametz, who returned this year after four seasons out of the sport, made an incredible comeback on the second half of the course to grab the bronze medal.

Matthias Schindler of Germany won the gold clocking 22 minutes and 50.67 seconds in the race held under seasonable but humid conditions. Finlay Graham of Great Britain took the silver 1.98 seconds behind the winner, and Sametz followed 35.20 back of the German in 23:25.27.

‘’I’m happy to be back on the podium here at the world championships,” said the soft spoken Sametz, 27, the world champion in the event in 2017 and 2018. ‘’I’m definitely rusty in my race form but my fitness was there. It’s quite surreal right now compared to where I was last year. I’m really thankful for the team behind me.”

Sametz, a two-time world champion, was in ninth position at the halfway point. It was only his third race since coming back this season from illness and injury which kept him out of notably the Tokyo Paralympics as well as the three previous world road championships.

‘’Sebastien [Travers, Canada’s head coach] had mentioned to me prior to the race something that gave me a bit of confidence, is that usually I’m decent in straights and to really push myself. So I knew once I got out there, I could make up time on going as hard as I can,” said Sametz about his second half.

In late 2019, Sametz was attempting to return from an early season crash for the Tokyo Games, when he was diagnosed with RED-S (relative energy deficiency in sport).

‘’I’ve always wanted to come back, it never crossed my mind to retire,” said Sametz, the Paralympic bronze medallist in the time trial at Rio 2016.

Travers says Sametz’s greatest trademark is his resilience.

“’It was a long road for Mike to get back to this level and we are so delighted he is on the team again,” said Travers. ‘’Never mind the medal, just to deliver an incredible performance like this just a year before the Games deserves a lot of respect after all he’s been through.’’

In the same race, Alexandre Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B. was sixth.

In the final race in the late afternoon, the women’s C4 time trial, Samantha Bosco of the U.S. successfully defended her title finishing in 40:57.70, Emily Petricola of Australia took the silver 59.58 back of the American, and Canada’s Shaw repeated as the bronze medallist in 42:26.44.

‘’It was a tough race out there and I gave it all I had,” said Shaw. ‘’I hit the corners well, took decent turns, hit the lines, and made it. I think this is a really good spot to be going into the Paralympic years.”

It was the same 1-2-3 finish as last year’s Para road worlds, but Shaw says she’s gaining ground.

‘’This is the closest I’ve been to Petricola, so everything is trending up and up.”

Other Canadian time trial results Thursday included Mel Pemble of Victoria, a triple medallist on the track, eighth in the women’s C3, visually impaired rider Carla Shibley and her pilot Meghan Brown of Calgary were 10^th in the women’s B category, Lowell Taylor of Lethbridge, Alta. and his guide Ed Veal of Queensville, Ont. were 13^th in the men’s B race, and national team rookie Tarek Dahab of Beloeil, Que. was 18^th in the men’s C2.

Competition continues Friday with the first set of road races featuring Nathan Clement of West Vancouver and Shelley Gautier of Toronto, gold and bronze medallists in their respective time trials on Wednesday.

Full results: https://www.tissottiming.com/2023/pcrdwch?day=221