Paris 2024: Para cyclist Caroline Groot wins first gold medal of Games

Dutch Para cyclist Caroline Groot has blitzed the field to claim the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games' first gold medal.  

It was a dramatic Para cycling track women's 500m time trial C4-5 final on Thursday – day one of the Games.  

Cox crashes out

Great Britain’s Kadeena Cox, the defending gold medalist from Tokyo 2020 and Rio 2016, slid and crashed out in the first 50 metres.  

Judges denied her the opportunity to have a restart because there was no mechanical problem with her bike.  

Team officials helped an emotional Cox to disconnect from her bike and escorted her off the track.  

Groot, who won bronze at the Tokyo Games, said the victory was the best way to cap off her cycling career before she retires.  

Her average speed was 50.610 kilometres per hour. She finished in 35.566 seconds.  

“Everything went perfect,” she told the IPC at the Vélodrome National de Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. 

“For me next is quitting cycling and starting a normal career... I’m finishing my master’s of criminal law. I hope to start working as a lawyer.”  

Groot said she didn’t know whether Cox would get a re-start when she had her race.  

“I just focused on my own race,” she said.  

Earlier, Groot set a new world record in her heat.  

Fans cheer on France's Marie Patouillet

Crowd favourite, French Para-cyclist Marie Patouillet settled for silver, a huge improvement on her fourth at the Tokyo Games.  

Some fans had signs saying: “Go Marie” and a cut out of her shaved head. 

A thunderous roar erupted across the velodrome as she zipped around the track.  

She lifted her bike in the air and blew kisses to the crowd after hitting the top of the leaderboard, but it would only be temporary. 

“A silver medal was unexpected, I thought a bronze medal was realistic,” she told the IPC.  

Patouillet said she felt a little tired in the final.  

“The public were magic... they gave me more legs,” she said.  

Canada’s Kate O’Brien netted the bronze medal.  

It was her second Paralympic medal after she won a silver in Tokyo.  

She was previously a member of Canada’s Rio 2016 Olympic cycling team but switched to Para cycling after a crash left her with a major brain injury.  

O’Brien also represented Canada in bobsledding.  

Ahead of the first medal event, DJ Clotilde revved up the crowds with funky beats.  

International Paralympic Committee president Andrew Parsons and Tony Estanguet, Paris 2024 organising committee president, presented the medals to the trio.   

Ride like the wind  

Earlier on Thursday, world records were flying in the heats, as the temperature soared to around 30 degrees inside the velodrome.  

Great Britain blind cyclist Stephen Bate and his pilot Christopher Latham claimed a new world record in the men’s B 4000m individual pursuit.  

Only to have it gazumped moments later by Tristan Bangma and his pilot Patrick Bos from the Netherlands. In the final Bangma claimed gold and Bate was awarded silver. 

China’s Li Zhangyu also broke a world record in the C1 men’s 3000m individual pursuit heat and also won gold. 

Para cycling track continues Friday with more medal events  

Schedule & Results - August 30 Para Cycling Track (paralympic.org)