The Rio de Janeiro 2025 Para-Cycling Track World Championships kicked off this Thursday, the 16th, with world records, unprecedented achievements among women, and a gold medal for Brazil.
On a day marked by a high technical level, Sabrina Custodia da Silva won the 1 km time trial in the C2 category, recording the best time in the event’s history: 1:20.020.
“The moment has arrived, and it wasn’t just the world title, it was the world record! It’s a lot of emotion in one day. I trained hard this year, preparing a lot to get to this moment. Although I knew I was ready, it hasn’t sunk in yet,” celebrated the 44-year-old Brazilian cyclist, who won silver in the time trial at last year’s World Championships, also at the Rio Velodrome.
Sabrina lives in São José dos Campos, in the interior of São Paulo, but trains in Indaiatuba, a neighboring city. In addition to her dedication on the track, another decisive factor in the Brazilian’s result was the acquisition of new equipment by the Brazilian Cycling Confederation (CBC).
Her career is marked by an accident at age 18, when she suffered an electric shock while trying to adjust the television antenna in her home. After three months in the hospital, she had to have both hands, her right foot, and the toes on her left foot amputated.
Paralympic sports entered her life soon after, but it was in athletics that Sabrina began her career. During the pandemic, athlete Adriano Matunaga introduced her to cycling, and she began riding on two wheels. Now, Sabrina becomes the fourth Brazilian para-cycling track world champion in history and the first world record holder of all time.
However, the first day of competition wasn’t just the first for Sabrina. One of the most anticipated events was the 1km time trial in the WC5 category, which includes athletes with upper or lower limb disabilities who can ride conventional bicycles.
While New Zealander Nicole Murray was the main attraction, it was Italy’s Claudia Cretti who stole the show in the qualifying rounds. On her first lap, the 29-year-old cyclist broke the world record for the event: 1:12.325. In the final, she did even better: 1:12.028, more than 1.6 seconds ahead of runner-up Murray.
“It’s my first world title, and the excitement is immense. I worked hard in Montichiari to be here and prepared well to compete in this 1km race. It’s my seventh medal (at the World Championships), but my first gold medal,” celebrated Claudia, who had finished on the podium three times in each of the last two editions.
Claudia was a road cyclist when she suffered a serious accident in 2017 during the Giro Rosa. The Italian was in a coma but recovered, and two years later, she decided to return to the sport, competing in paracycling.
While the Italian ultimately won the coveted gold medal, the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro also saw Frenchman Alexandre Léauté win his fourteenth world title. The three-time Paralympic Games champion won the Scratch event in the MC2 category.
With a bold strategy, occasionally regulating the pace and seeking to distance himself from the peloton for the remainder of the race, Léauté dominated, overtaking all competitors except Dutchman Hidde Buur.
“I’m very happy to have won today. It was a very difficult race; my rivals were watching me closely, and I knew it would be very difficult to escape. I think I did a good tactical job, avoiding risks and trying to accelerate to isolate myself. There was a moment when I don’t know what happened, but I took advantage of it to get away from the Dutchman. Then, with about five or six laps to go, I broke away and took the title,” explained the 25-year-old cyclist.
The Para-Cycling Track World Championships continue until Sunday (19), with morning and afternoon sessions. On Friday and Saturday, the program starts at 10:00 a.m. On the final day, racing begins at 9:00 a.m. Admission is free, and the public can experience all the excitement of Para-cycling at the Rio Olympic Velodrome (Avenida Embaixador Abelardo Bueno, 3401 – Barra da Tijuca).
Source: https://www.cbc.esp.br