Canada takes two silver medals on the second day of Paralympic track cycling in Rio
Ross Wilson takes silver in Men's C1 individual pursuit competition; Tristen Chernove ranks second in C2.
Friday marked the second day of track cycling competition at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. For Canadian riders, it was one to remember.
Canada claimed two silver medals, one in the Men’s C1 individual pursuit and another in the Men’s C2 individual pursuit.
In the former, Ross Wilson of Edmonton took second place in the 3000-m final of the C1 event. Gold went to Li Zhangyu of China, who had set a record in his qualifying ride. In the battle for gold, Li caught Wilson in the final stretches of the race.
“The goal was the gold,” Wilson said, “and I fell just short of that. I rode the fastest I have ever ridden, so I think I can be proud and hold my head high. I think it’s pretty cool to win the first medal and I hope this opens the floodgates.”
Canada’s other silver medal ride in the 3000-m C2 individual pursuit final saw Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, B.C., come a close second to Liang Guihua of China. At the finish, Chernove’s time was 3:47.412 seconds—barely three seconds shy of the gold.
Nonetheless, the British Columbia athlete was humble about it all, viewing the race as a learning experience.
“It is wonderful to be on the podium,” Chernove said, “but I still have a lot to learn. I didn’t have my best rides today, which is hard. It’s wonderful to have a silver medal, but this was far from my best ride. But this isn’t the end and I’m going to harness my energies, refocus and get back on top of my game.”
Michael Sametz of Calgary, meanwhile, qualified to compete for bronze in the Men’s C3 individual pursuit. He was edged off the podium by Clifford Eoghan of Ireland, who took the third spot with a time of 3:40.201 seconds. David Nicholas, representing Australia, took gold.
“I think I lost concentration at the halfway point,” Sametz said, looking back on the race. “Then I was able to bring it back later in the race, but then I just didn’t have enough time to catch [Eoghan]. I have learned that I need to work on my mental preparation and also my physical level, so I will get better for Tokyo.”
