Paris 2024: Dutch ‘machine’ Jetze Plat nets a hat-trick
Dutch Para cyclist will turn his attention to the marathon after a gold trifecta 05 Sep 2024With three Paris 2024 Paralympic gold medals for endurance events already hanging around his neck, Dutchman Jetze Plat is now setting his sights on a leisurely Sunday marathon. (Not kidding.)
The 33-year-old took out the Para triathlon men's PTWC on Monday – his third consecutive Paralympic title in that event.
On Wednesday, he was back on the podium again, this time accepting gold in the Para road cycling individual time trial H4. He also won the same event at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
The Netherlands Opening Ceremony flagbearer somehow still had enough energy in the tank on Thursday to win the Para cycling H4 road race – which was also a successful title defence.
‘A machine’
The race was held in soggy conditions and saw multiple crashes.
Plat and Austrian Thomas Fruehwirth led the pack for the majority of the race in a breakaway group before the Dutch rider attacked in the final moments.
Plat raised his arms in triumph as he crossed over the finish line at Clichy-sous-Bois.
"Today was a crazy race. Because of the rain, it was really slippery. I didn't want to take any risks today,” he said.
"A lot of athletes made mistakes, because of the rain. I didn't make a mistake. I was the strongest today."
Plat finished the race in 1:29:15. Fruehwirth was 31 seconds behind and had to settle for silver, while Poland’s Rafal Wilk scooped the bronze and was around five minutes off the winner’s pace.
“We had a cool fight. That's why I'm doing it. I want to race against the best in the world. Jetze Plat is the best in the world. It's an honour (to compete against him),” Fruehwirth said.
“Look at him, he's a master, a machine.”
Plat’s celebrations will be on ice, until after Sunday’s 42.195km men's marathon – T54.
"First, full focus on recovery. It's been some tough days racing and travelling. I'm not the favourite in the marathon. Maybe (I'm in with the chance of) a medal, but I'm not a specialist. We will see. I will give it everything," he said.
After Tokyo, he took up marathon wheeling as a new challenge.
"I feel the pressure is gone a bit now,” Plat said.
“I'm not the favourite anymore. In the triathlon and the cycling events I knew I had titles to defend, I had to win. I could only lose. In the marathon, I can only win."
Flag attack
It was a golden day for the Dutch cycling squad, teammate Mitch Valize also won gold in the men’s H5 road race, a day after winning the individual time trial. He was the defending champion in both events.
“Mission accomplished,” he said.
Valize beat France’s Loic Vergnaud while Pavlo Bal from Ukraine took the bronze.
He laughed off a nervous moment just before the finish line when the Dutch flag blew into his face.
"The flag flapped into my face instead of me holding it above my head,” he said laughing.
“Luckily, I managed to see through it, because I was a bit scared, I would ride into the barriers just before the finish line. It actually was the only moment where I didn't feel in control of the race."
Masters offers a masterclass
Meanwhile, American Oksana Masters won her second Paris gold and 19th overall Paralympic medal in the women’s H5 road race and will now have to extend her sock collection.
“I love socks, so I store them in socks. Honestly, I'm not a medal person,” she said.
“To me it's the experience and the memory of the race that means the most to me.”
The 35-year-old, who grew up in a Ukrainian orphanage, has won titles in Para rowing and Para cycling at the summer editions of the Paralympics and in Para Nordic skiing at the Winter Games.
"I feel like I'm on cloud nine. I feel dizzy,” she told reporters post-race.
Masters was in a leading pack of four riders – Sun Bianbian from China, Italy’s Maria Ana Vitelaru and German veteran Andrea Eskau – for the majority of the race.
"I tried to see where everybody was on the climb, and nobody was responding. I kind of knew that they were strong enough. They just were letting me go, because I know they know I'm a strong climber,” she said.
“When I saw that, I didn't want to just keep attacking, attacking, attacking and wearing myself out, because I wanted to have enough for the last climb.”
"I just tried to say (to them) like 'let's work together just a little bit'.”
Eskau, 53, who won gold in London and Rio, missed out on the podium with Sun coming second and Vitelaru third.