Shaw and Pemble reach podium at UCI Cycling World Championships

Canadian Paralympic Committee

August 07, 2023

Three medals for Para cyclists so far

Keely Shaw

Photo: Will Palmer

GLASGOW, Scotland – Before a roaring sellout crowd at Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Canadian Para cyclists Keely Shaw and Mel Pemble earned silver and bronze medals on Monday at the UCI Cycling World Championships.

 

In the women’s C4 individual pursuit final, Emily Petricola of Australia defeated Shaw in the 3000-metre showdown for gold. Petricola clocked 3:42.732 compared to 3:50.004 for the Canadian from Midale, Sask. Both riders had posted slightly faster times in qualifying last Wednesday.

For the Australian, it was her fourth straight world title in the event in addition to the Paralympic crown in Tokyo.

 

‘’I knew going in I was racing the best pursuit racer in the world,’’ said Shaw, 29, the Paralympic Games bronze medallist in the event. ‘’It was going to take a miracle for me to win. Still you’re racing against yourself, against the clock and there’s time you can chase.

 

‘’Today I went out a little bit ambitious and blew up halfway through the race. That’s racing at the worlds, you’ve got try new things. I had nothing to lose.’’

 

Pemble, 23, a double world champion last year at the Para track worlds in Paris returned to the podium with a bronze in the women’s C3 500-metre time trial. 

 

Keiko Sugiura of Japan was first in 39.184, defending champion Aniek van den Aarsen of the Netherlands second 0.902 back, and Pemble was 2.220 behind the winner.

Pemble, from Victoria, slipped her hand on the handlebar at the start that cost precious milliseconds.

 

‘’I was glad I could hold on to a spot on the podium but it wasn’t the time I was looking for,’’ said Pemble, a member of Canada’s Para alpine skiing team at the 2018 Winter Paralympics. ‘’I was hoping for a personal best but I’ll take anything I can get with that start.’’

 

Pemble won her world titles last year in the Omnium and the scratch race. 

 

After three of four races in the women’s C3 Omnium, van den Aarsen stands first with 118 points followed closely by Pemble at 114 and Richael Timothy of Ireland at 110. Pemble ranked first among the Omnium entries in the 200 flying start (not a medal event) and third in the pursuit.

 

She’ll race the scratch race, the last event of the Omnium, with two medals on the line.

 

‘’I’ve got my work cut out for me if I want to get that top spot,’’ said Pemble. ‘’They’ll be a lot of tactics in the scratch race and I have to be ready for everything.’’

 

Canada nearly scooped a third medal on the day as Tarek Dahab of Beloeil, Que. was an impressive fourth in the men’s kilo time trial. In that event, the riders go solo against the clock.

 

Alexandre Leaute of France took the gold in 1:09.947, Shota Kawamoto of Japan followed 0.753 back, Gordon Allen of Australia was third a further 1.498 back and Dahab clocked 1.971 behind the winner.

 

Dahab, at his first career worlds, was also fourth in the morning prelims grabbing one of six spots for the final from the 18-men field. In the final, he was the only one of the six that improved on his time from the morning.

 

‘’At the start line I told myself this could be a once in a lifetime experience and I gave it my all,’’ said Dahab, a former police officer who started track racing six months ago. ‘’This is a beautiful experience and I want to tell people that if you have a dream you should follow it. Anything is reachable if we put in the effort.’’

 

The track portion of the Para cycling competition concludes on Tuesday.

Full results: https://www.tissottiming.com/2023/ctrwch?day=215

 

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