Taylor bags bronze in action-packed Day 1 of Para Cycling Track World Championships; Briggs debuts with 4th place finish

• Paralympian #225 Anna Taylor has claimed New Zealand’s first medal of the 2022 Para Cycling Track World Championships.
• Taylor took 3^rd place in the C4 Time Trial in a Personal Best time.
• Para athlete Devon Briggs made an outstanding World Championship debut, placing first in the Flying 200m, and 4^th in the 4km Individual Pursuit.
• The remaining three team members also delivered strong performances, boding well for the rest of the 4-day competition.

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The New Zealand Para cycling team has got off to a storming start in the Para Cycling Track World Championships.

Paralympian #225 Anna Taylor delivered an outstanding Time Trial in 38.907 to win bronze. A grinning Taylor shared how much the record meant:

“I did a PB, I’ve never broken 39 seconds before, I was really stoked to have done that.”

She credits her teammates with getting her attitude right for the race.

“It was cool to ride on the backs of our team who have built up good momentum today.”

Meanwhile Para athlete Devon Briggs was ‘ecstatic’ with his 4^th place finish in the Individual Pursuit, which was also a significant Personal Best time. The 18-year-old hasn’t previously competed outside Oceania. He started the day with an impressive 1^st place finish in the 200m flying start (this is part of the Omnium and not a standalone medal event) and went on to reach the finals of the Individual Pursuit, finishing in 4^th.

“Ecstatic. To come 4^th at my first international is pretty amazing. I left everything out there and had an amazing ride. I enjoyed it.”

Coach Damian Wiseman was pleased with all 5 members of the team, who delivered strong performances. Para athlete Nick Blincoe (C4) and Paralympian #222 Nicole Murray (C5) both finished 3^rd in their 200m flying start events, while Paralympian #213 Sarah Ellington (C2) finished 5^th.

Further information and full results.

Racing continues tomorrow with events for all 5 members of the team.

About the 2022 Para Cycling Track World Championships 

• The 2022 Para Cycling Track World Championships are being held in Velodrome Saint Quentin en Yvelines, near Paris.
• The Velodrome Saint Quentin en Yvelines is also the venue for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.
• 230 Para athletes from 39 nations are competing – a record number of nations.

What do the classifications mean in Para cycling?

• Classification groups Para cyclists with an eligible impairment into sports classes, according to how much their impairment affects their ability to carry out the fundamental activities in their sport.
• Para athletes who are able to use a standard bicycle (with approved adaptations) compete in the five sport classes C1-5.
• Sport class C1 is allocated to athletes with the most severe activity limitation, while the sport class C5 is allocated to athletes with minimum impairments.
• The C1-5 sport classes include athletes with limb deficiency, impaired muscle power or range of motion and impairments affecting co-ordination, such as uncoordinated movements and involuntary movements.