Canada ended the 2018 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with a fourth and final medal – a bronze for Tristen Chernove of Cranbrook, BC, in the men’s C1-3 Scratch Race. This is Chernove’s third medal of these Championships and gives him a complete set of gold, silver and bronze.
The only Canadian riders competing on the final day of competition were Chernove and Ross Wilson of Edmonton, Alberta, a C1 rider in the same race. The teammates worked together to put Chernove in a medal position. Alejandro Perea Arango of Colombia, who took the gold medal ahead of Chernove in the 1000 metre time trial, lapped the field to win the world title, with Chernove losing to Darren Hicks of Australia in the sprint for silver. Wilson finished tenth, the second C1 category athlete in the race.
“It’s been a great time here,” said Chernove, “with a little bit of deja vu from Rio [Paralympics] – a gold, a silver and a bronze! I’m very happy with the teamwork that Ross and I put together to get me up on the podium. It was definitely a team effort. Ross was continually attacking and that allowed me to not be marked, like I have been in the past. I got a little confused at the end because the bell rang with two to go [for race leader Perea Arango, a lap ahead] and I missed my jump for the sprint, unfortunately. But, I’m really happy with the result and really happy with the teamwork.”
Sebastien Travers, Para Head Coach for Cycling Canada, summarized the project, which saw Canada win a total of four medals – one gold, two silver and one bronze. “I’m very happy with the team’s results, with four medals. We also had two fourth place results and a tremendous fifth place for newcomer Keely Shaw [Saskatoon, Saskatchewan]. Overall, I’m pleased with how we stand compared to other nations that were here for these world championships; the level of competition was quite high. So we know exactly where we stand and exactly what we have to do. All of this cannot happen without the strong support of Cycling Canada and the Canadian Paralympic Committee, and a huge thanks to our staff, who worked tirelessly all week.”
About Cycling Canada
Cycling Canada is the governing body for competitive cycling in Canada. Founded in 1882, Cycling Canada aims to create and sustain an effective system that develops talented Canadian cyclists to achieve Olympic, Paralympic, and World Championship medal performances. With the vision of being a leading competitive cycling nation by 2020 celebrating enhanced international success, increased national participation and world class event hosting, Cycling Canada manages the High Performance team, hosts national and international events and administers programs to promote and grow cycling across the country. Cycling Canada programs are made possible through the support of its valued corporate partners – Global Relay, Lexus Canada, Mattamy Homes, Louis Garneau and Bear Mountain Resort – along with the Government of Canada, Own The Podium, the Canadian Olympic Committee and the Canadian Paralympic Committee.