Devon Briggs Races to Victory, Secures Gold for New Zealand

New Zealand’s Devon Briggs clinched a gold medal on the final day of the 2023 Para-Cycling World Championships in Rio de Janeiro, triumphing in the MC3 10km scratch race. The 21-year-old cyclist showcased his speed with a powerful sprint on the last lap, marking a significant achievement for the New Zealand team, which concluded the four-day event with a total of 13 medals—eight silver and four bronze.

Briggs’s victory is particularly poignant as it follows a challenging period marred by injury, which had sidelined him from competing at the 2022 Paralympics. Reflecting on his win, Briggs expressed relief and joy, stating, “Overall it has been an amazing week. For me it has been a week of highs and lows. Today I took expectation out of the race and went out and enjoyed the race and managed to race well and win.”

The triumph at the velodrome not only adds to Briggs’s accolades but also represents his second consecutive world championship title in track cycling. He previously achieved similar success at the same venue last year. He noted, “I rode a good strong race and had a good sprint at the end. And I get to wear the rainbow jersey for another year.”

Additional Medals for New Zealand

Alongside Briggs’s gold, New Zealand secured two bronze medals on the final day. Nicole Murray, competing in the C5 class, and Siobhan Terry from the C4 class both performed admirably in the combined 10,000m race. This achievement marked Murray’s fourth medal of the week and Terry’s third, highlighting the strength and depth of New Zealand’s para-cycling team.

New Zealand’s head coach, Brendon Cameron, expressed satisfaction with the team’s overall performance amid the introduction of several new events at the championships, including longer-distance races and an elimination race. “It was a good four days with a new format and some new races in the UCI calendar with most of these to be raced at the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles,” Cameron remarked.

He also highlighted the importance of adapting training to these new events, noting, “With the new events we altered our training, and raced at local able-bodied races at club and provincial level and worked more on our tactical and technical things.”

Cameron emphasized the positive outcomes of the competition: “The best takeaway from the four days here has been all the individual efforts timewise. Every athlete here had personal bests—most of them have been in the programme for a few years, so the results are really encouraging.”

This championship not only showcased individual talents but also positioned New Zealand’s para-cycling team favorably ahead of future competitions, including the upcoming Paralympic Games. As athletes continue to break personal records and demonstrate remarkable resilience, the momentum built during this event is likely to propel them forward in their sporting journeys.