Great Britain’s Dave Ellis won the first Paralympic gold of an already glittering career on Monday afternoon in Paris, searing clear of his rivals over the final 5km run to take the tape alongside his long-term guide Luke Pollard.
The duo motored through the 750m swim to almost completely offset the time difference to the B1 athletes by the time they made it back to the ramp in the face of a strong Seine current.
Ellis was able to pass Antoine Perel B1 early on the bike into the lead, only for Owen Cravens B3 to hit the front him late on, but the American had to serve a penalty on the run that effectively ended his medal hopes. Regardless, Ellis was unstoppable from the moment he pulled on his shoes and hit the 5km run, clocking a rapid 16m18s to win the gold by over a minute from Frenchman Thibaut Rigaudeau and compatriot Antoine Perel as they fired up the crowds with silver and bronze respectively.
“We just fixed any chance of the thing that happened in Tokyo happening again, and obviously we’ve raced for years now on all the equipment we used today. So, we were really confident in our set up. It just meant we could hit the bike course really hard and have no fear,” said Ellis. “It was always a dream (to get a Paralympic medal). I never thought it would come true to be fair. I kept going and grinding and working hard. It was a tough race, maybe the hardest race ever.”
“I don’t think there have been many people that have stuck around and worked so hard and believed in himself, said his guide Pollard. “Dave is a cut above the rest in terms of his self-belief and having the determination and drive.”
It was a noisy crowd that greeted the PTVI men to the start pontoon for the day’s third main session, Rigaudeau and Perel’s names being chanted out across the stunning river start at Pont Alexandre III.
The first wave of B1 (most-impaired) athletes set out at midday, Japan’s Satoru Yoneoka B1 leading the way as they passed the buoys and came back into the head-on current.
Yoneoka was the first athlete out of the water, USA’s Kyle Coon B1 right on his heels along with Perel, Cravens a minute back with Rigaudeau and GB’s Oscar Kelly B2, Australia’s medal hope Sam Harding B2 and guide Aaron Royle out of the water in ninth position.
Perel was quickly into the lead on the first lap of the bike, Ellis working his way up into second, Cravens staying in touch, while the Spaniard Hector Catala Laparra B2 crashed out and his race was over before it had a chance to take shape.
Cravens was able to take the lead so that at the bell there was nothing to separate him and the rest of the top four in Ellis, Perel and Rigaudeau as they hit transition for the last time.
In a flash, Ellis was passed Perel on the way out of transition, Cravens up into third but having to stop to serve a 10s penalty for a helmet violation that effectively ended his medal hopes.
Harding was picking his way through the field and up into fifth, but up ahead it was the Dave Ellis show, taking the tape with a combination of delight and relief over a minute ahead of second-placed Rigaudeau, Perel with bronze just 20 seconds back and ahead of Cravens and Harding.
QUOTES:
Thibaut Rigaudeau (silver)
“It was an amazing race. I had all my family on the side of the road. It was just crazy. Everybody was shouting, we couldn’t hear each other (he and his guide). It was crazy but that’s what pushed us. We never saw that before and we will probably never see it again. It’s a special day.”
“Usually, on the bike we are the strongest but the American pushed very hard. They dropped us off. We are not used to that. We had to dig very deep to take second place. We only put a gap in on the last lap. It was very, very, very hard. We had to push to maximum.”
Antoine Perel (bronze)
“It’s incredible. I really hoped and wished for a medal today. To do it at home is amazing. Bronze to me means gold.”
“I’m very happy with the result. Triathlon is a hard sport. At home it is maybe even harder. It was cool to have so many spectators around.”
For full results, click here.
