South Africa and Germany claim three para-cycling world titles

“No words. Just thankful to all the people who made this happen."

South Africa and Germany enjoyed great success on Monday (1 September), the final day of the 2014 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships in Greenville, Carolina, USA, winning three gold medals apiece in the road race events.

After winning three silver medals on Monday, hosts USA topped the medals table overall claiming 18 medals, including nine golds.

Ernst van Dyk led the way for South Africa with victory in the men’s H5 road race. The 41-year-old (1:43:03) won an extremely tight race to defeat Italy’s Paralympic champion Alex Zanardi (1:43:03). The Netherlands’ Tim de Vries (1:43:06) took the bronze.

“No words. Just thankful to all the people who made this happen. You know who you are. We have a rainbow jersey!” tweeted van Dyk soon after.

Nicolas Pieter Du Preez (1:22:33) followed up van Dyk’s success in the men’s class H1 taking gold ahead of Finland’s Teppo Polvi (1:29:15) and New Zealand’s Timothy Williams (1:29:41) in silver and bronze respectively.

Finally for South Africa, Justine Asher (1:20:06) claimed the rainbow jersey in the women’s H5 class.

Elsewhere, German para-cyclists claimed three rainbow jerseys on Monday to secure second spot in the medals table.

Andrea Eskau (1:39:54) won her second world title of the event with victory in the women’s H5 class following a tight finish with the Netherlands’ Laura De Vann (1:39:54). Germany’s Dorothee Vieth (1:39:56) completed the podium.

In the women’s H4 class, Christiane Reppe (1:37:47) also won gold for Germany. Russia’s Svetlana Moshkovich (1:37:50) picked up the silver whilst South Korea’s Doyeon Lee (1:40:13), who won Saturday’s time trial, took the bronze.

The men’s T2 road race was a closely fought affair with all three podium finishers clocking the same time. Gold went to Germany’s Hans-Peter Durst (56:49), silver Great Britain’s David Stone and bronze Italy’s Giorgio Farroni.

Italy secured third spot in the medals table after Luca Mazzone and Vittorio Podesta won titles on the final day.

Mazzone (1:34.03) claimed victory in the men’s H2 road race ahead of the USA’s William Groulx (1:35.23), who had won Saturday’s time trial. Switzerland’s Tobias Fankhauser (1:43:17) was the bronze medallist.

In the men’s H3 the rainbow jersey went to Podesta (1:38:33) after he beat Switzerland’s multi world and Paralympic champion Heinz Frei (1:40:25) into silver. Bronze went to Austria’s Walter Ablinger (1:41:47).

France also won two medals on Monday. Joel Jeannot (1:38:08) won the men’s H4 title and Quentin Aubague (47:13) the men’s T1 rainbow jersey.

Renata Kaluza (1:37:53) claimed Poland’s second gold of Greenville 2014 with a win in the women’s H3 class. She beat the USA’s Alicia Brelsford Dana (1:37:53), the winner of Saturday’s time trial, into silver, whilst bronze went to Great Britain’s Karen Darke.

Canada’s Shelley Gautier (56:34) and Australia’s Carole Cooke (1:02:43) won their second individual titles of the event with victories in the T1 and T2 road races respectively.