Reid seals back-to-back para-cycling gold medals
Amanda Reid could not hide her delight as she continued Australia’s strong form at the velodrome, defending her C1-3 500m time trial Paralympic gold medal in style.
Reid became the first Indigenous Australian to seal a gold medal when she won the same race at Tokyo three years ago.
And the 28-year-old ensured she went back-to-back, racing through her two laps in Paris on Saturday for a factored time of 36.676.
Reid’s first-place finish added to the two golds won by Korey Boddington and Emily Petricola at the Paris’s National Velodrome 24 hours earlier.
Reid, who has cerebral palsy, told reporters the result was particularly gratifying after she had been plagued by a back injury over the last year.
“That was absolutely amazing considering the 12-plus months I’ve had,” Reid said.
“I just came in to go as fast as I could and I ended up going back to back gold, which is amazing.”
Reid added: “This will mean so much more because of everything that I have had to overcome.”
The cyclist’s haul came after Australia’s track stars had got things rolling earlier in the day at the Stade de France.
After Jaryd Clifford was disqualified from winning bronze, Madison de Rozario finished third in the T54 5000m final before Michael Roeger grabbed a silver medal in the T46 1500m.
Elsewhere, in the pool at La Defense Arena, Jack Ireland finished with a bronze medal and set an Oceania record in the men’s 200m freestyle S14 final.
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