Nathan Clement wins silver medal in Para cycling

PARIS – Nathan Clement has come to accept there’ll be nothing elegant about his journey in Para cycling. But now he can hang a Paralympic Games silver medal around his neck to remind him it was all worth it.

Clement, from West Vancouver, continued his meteoric rise in the sport on Wednesday placing second in the men’s T1-2 individual time trial as the road events got underway.  In the T events, most of the riders like Clement have cerebral palsy and race on three-wheel bikes to compensate for balance issues.

‘’This was one of the moments that sums up my journey and my sporting career,’’ said Clement, 29, the reigning world champion in the event. ‘’It’s never going to be pretty. It’s going to be ugly and you’re really going to have to dig deep to get to where you want to be.’’

Jianxin Chen of China won the 14.6 kilometre race at Clichy-Sous-Bois, a Paris suburb, in 21 minutes and 35.78 seconds. Chen successfully defended his Games title after Clement beat him at last year’s worlds for gold.

Clement was 38 seconds behind at the halfway mark and clocked 22:53.36 at the finish. Tim Celen of Belgium was third in 23:27.64.

‘’I rode beyond my comfort zone today,’’ said Clement, who had a stroke at age two which caused him to lose mobility on one side of his body. ‘’I had a lot of high spasticity in my arm. I was really battling and focused on controlling my left side. When it acts up it can become very difficult.’’

This is Clement’s second appearance at the Paralympics. Back in 2016 he was a member of the Para swimming team and was seventh in the 50m butterfly.

He retired from Para swimming in 2018. In 2020 he did a 1,000 km trek on his bike through B.C., and it ignited his competitive passions again. Thus began his Para cycling journey.

By 2022, he made the national team and grabbed silver medals in the time trial and road race in his international debut on the World Cup circuit. That same month, he repeated the exploit at the 2022 Para Cycling Road World Championships.

‘’It’s a lifetime of work to get a Paralympic medal,’’ he said. ‘’I just feel fortunate with the various communities that support me. From the bike shops back home, the people who wave to me on the street when I’m training to our national team coaches and support staff.’’

Other Canadian time trial results Wednesday: Keely Shaw of Midale, Sask. was fifth in the women’s C4 (standard bike), Alexandre Hayward of Quispamsis, N.B. was also fifth in the men’s C3, Mel Pemble of Victoria 14^th in the women’s C3 and Charles Moreau of Victoriaville, Que., was seventh in the men’s H3 (handcycle).

Hayward and Shaw both won bronze medals last week in track cycling.

Pemble, a track specialist who placed fourth in the 500m sprint and set a world record in her C3 category, is keen to put more work into her road racing going into 2028.

‘’I don’t think I’ll ever enjoy it,’’ she said. ‘’But with only one track event for me at the Games, it’s something I’ve pondered as maybe a challenge. It’s something to think about but at the end of the day I love being a track sprinter.’’

The road races go from Thursday to Saturday.