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Eight Canadian medals at paracycling World Cup

May 12, 2014
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Canadian paracyclists won eight medals at the opening round of the 2014 World Cup season in Castiglione Della Pescaia, Italy, over the weekend. Canadian athletes won four gold, one silver and three bronze medals through the competition.

Shelly Gautier and Marie-Ève Croteau proved to be potent competitors, winning two gold medals each.

Gautier, who hails from Toronto, won the gold medal in the time trial event, and repeated the performance in dominant fashion in the women’s T1 time trial. Gautier finished with a margin of more than seven minutes over the second-place finisher in the road race to win her second gold medal of the weekend.

“I have trained hard and mentally prepared for this race. I am learning how to ride faster for longer periods of time,” said Gautier after the race. “I am proud to be riding faster than last year. Thanks to my coaches and the members of my team who helped me prepare for this World Cup race.”

A day later, Gautier dominated the road race, lapping her closest competition before winning her second gold medal of the weekend.

Racing in a different division than Gautier, Croteau Croteau easily bested her closest rivals to win gold in the time trial. With the performance, Croteau has proven that she is fully recovered following a serious crash just before the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

“This was by far the best time trial of my life; certainly the best managed one. I was feeling really good before the start. My right leg is performing really well, producing lots of power and velocity that ensure my pedalling is good,” said Croteau, who comes from Quebec City. “I am still in catch-up mode, but this result means I am finding back my ways and performance from before my crash prior to the London 2012 Paralympic Games.”

Croteau showed considerable strength in the women’s road race, beating the second place athlete by more than five minutes. The victory doubled Croteau’s gold medal haul in Italy.

Marie-Claude Molnar finished second on the women’s C2 category, winning a silver medal. Molnar is fighting to return to full strength after illness impacted much of her training efforts last month. In the C5 division, Nicole Clermont finished third in the time trial. The result matches Clermont’s best World Cup finish, and was also her strongest performance in a time trial format.

Molnar earned a bronze medal a day later, in the C2 road race.

“Considering the new groupings, the race was much more difficult and strategic,” said Molnar. “The competition is getting better and stronger, and I will have to race more frequently to gain experience in pelotons.”

Jaye Milley joined a breakaway in the men’s C1 race, and finished third in the sprint to the line, earning a bronze medal.

“It was gruelling, fast and utterly leg destroying. To be able to stand on the podium with the very best paracyclists in the world for the second time this year is truly a blessing,” said Milley. “While this event was a tremendous success, there was also a lot that I personally learned and will be coming home with lots to work on in preparation for the rest of the year so that I can push the limits even further to bring home a medal for Canada at the 2014 road world championships.”

The Canadian team is now ranked seventh in the nations ranking following the eight medal opening weekend of the World Cup season.

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