Canadian Para road cyclists Michael Sametz and Alexandre Hayward clinched silver and bronze medals, respectively, in the men’s C3 individual time trial at the world championships held in Huntsville, Alabama. Sametz, hailing from Calgary, completed the race in 36:33.30, while Hayward, representing Quispamsis, New Brunswick, crossed the finish line in 37:03.18, securing his fifth career world-championship medal. The gold medal was claimed by Louis Hubert from France with a time of 36:03.41.
This silver medal achievement signifies a significant milestone for 30-year-old Sametz, who has a decorated career including a Paralympic bronze in the C3 time trial at Rio 2016 and consecutive world titles in 2017 and 2018. After a challenging period of illness and injury that kept him out of competition for several seasons, Sametz made a remarkable comeback in 2023, earning bronze medals at both the world championships in Glasgow and the Santiago Parapan American Games, reasserting his position among the elite Para cyclists globally.
Reflecting on his performance, Sametz expressed, “I felt very fast on the first lap. It seemed like everything was lining up, and then on the second lap I almost fell off halfway through, but I hung on and kept my head tucked to hold the speed as much as possible. It seemed to work. It was a hot race, but I’m very happy with the result after the last couple of years.”
Hayward, a former wheelchair basketball player, secured the C3 time trial world title at the previous year’s competition in Ronse, Belgium, where he also attained a bronze in the road race for the second consecutive year. The 29-year-old continued his impressive form into this year, achieving podium finishes at both World Cup events in Gistel, Belgium and Abruzzo, Italy.
Expressing his satisfaction with the third-place finish, Hayward remarked, “I’m really happy with third place. And if you’re going to finish third, you want to see athletes ahead of you who you know earned it, and that’s exactly what happened today. Standing on the podium with another Canadian is incredibly special, and it’s something I’m proud of.”
The 2026 UCI Para-Cycling Road World Championships are ongoing until Monday.